Manuel Pinto da Costa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel Pinto da Costa
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Pinto da Costa in January 2014
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| 1st President of São Tomé and Príncipe | |
| In office 3 September 2011 – 3 September 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Patrice Trovoada Gabriel Costa Patrice Trovoada |
| Preceded by | Fradique de Menezes |
| Succeeded by | Evaristo Carvalho |
| In office 12 July 1975 – 4 March 1991 |
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| Prime Minister | Miguel Trovoada Celestino Rocha da Costa Daniel Daio |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Leonel Mário d'Alva (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 August 1937 Água Grande, São Tomé and Príncipe |
| Political party | MLSTP/PSD (1975–2011) Independent (2011–present) |
| Spouse | Maria Amelia Pinto da Costa |
| Signature |  |
Manuel Pinto da Costa was born on August 5, 1937. He is an economist and politician from São Tomé and Príncipe. He served as the very first president of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1975 to 1991. Later, he became president again, serving from 2011 to 2016.
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Early Life and Education
Manuel Pinto da Costa studied in East Germany. Because of his education, he speaks both Portuguese and German very well. In his younger years, he had strong connections with leaders from other African countries.
First Time as President (1975-1991)
Manuel Pinto da Costa became the first president of São Tomé and Príncipe on July 12, 1975. This was right after the country gained its independence. He led the country for many years.
In 1991, São Tomé and Príncipe started allowing more political parties. This led to the country's first democratic election. Pinto da Costa decided not to run for president in that election. He announced that he would step away from politics.
Returning to Politics
Even though he said he would retire, Pinto da Costa decided to run for president again in 1996. He came very close to winning but was defeated by Miguel Trovoada. He tried again in 2001, but the current president, Fradique de Menezes, won that election.
Pinto da Costa was chosen to lead the MLSTP political party in 1998. He later left the party in 2005.
Second Term as President (2011-2016)
In July 2011, Manuel Pinto da Costa ran for president as an independent candidate. He won the most votes in the first round of the election. However, he needed more than half the votes to win outright.
So, a second round of voting was held on August 7. He ran against Evaristo Carvalho. Pinto da Costa won this round with 53% of the votes. During his campaign, he promised to bring political stability to the country. He also said he would work to stop corruption. Many other important politicians supported his election. He officially became president again on September 3, 2011.
In the 2016 election, he made it to the second round. However, he chose not to participate in that final vote. Because of this, he stepped down, and the opposition candidate won the election.
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Pinto da Costa para niños
