Maria das Neves facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maria das Neves
Das Neves in 2015
11th Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
In office 7 October 2002 – 18 September 2004*
President	Fradique de Menezes
Preceded by	Gabriel Costa
Succeeded by	Damião Vaz d'Almeida
Personal details
Born	1958 (age 66–67) São Tomé and Príncipe
Political party	Social Democratic Party
*Das Neves was briefly deposed from 16 July 2003 – 23 July 2003 by Fernando Pereira.

Maria das Neves Ceita Baptista de Sousa, born in 1958, was an important leader in São Tomé and Príncipe. She became the 11th Prime Minister of this island nation. She was also the very first woman to lead the government there. Maria das Neves was a key member of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD).

Early Life and Career

Maria das Neves studied economics in Cuba. She focused on how governments manage their money. Before becoming a top leader, she worked in different important roles. She was a civil servant in the country's Ministry of Finance. She also worked for the World Bank and UNICEF, which is the UN Children's Fund.

After her two daughters grew up, she took on major government jobs. From 1999 to 2001, she was the Minister of Economics. She then served as the Minister of Finance in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, she became the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

In 2001, Fradique de Menezes was elected president. He had support from the Centre Party. However, no single party had a clear majority in parliament. This led to a period where different parties had to work together. This made the government unstable, with several leaders serving for short times. Maria das Neves was part of a government led by Gabriel Costa.

Becoming Prime Minister

Maria das Neves became the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe on October 7, 2002. She held this important position until September 18, 2004. She made history as the first woman to lead the government in her country.

President Fradique de Menezes chose her as prime minister. This happened after the previous government, led by Gabriel Costa, faced problems. The country was in a difficult situation. It owed a lot of money and relied on help from other nations. There were also disagreements and power struggles within the government.

In July 2003, there was a brief military takeover. This happened when the president was out of the country. The military and some others arrested Maria das Neves and other government officials. They said they were concerned about unfair distribution of future oil money. After other countries put pressure on them, an agreement was reached. President Menezes was put back in charge after just one week. Maria das Neves had to go to the hospital because she had a mild heart attack. She offered to resign as prime minister. However, President Menezes showed he still trusted her, and she agreed to continue.

On September 15, 2004, President Menezes removed her from the prime minister role. This was after some people made claims about corruption against her and her government. She stated that she had not done anything wrong. Three days later, a new government was formed. It was led by Damião Vaz d'Almeida. After this, Maria das Neves was elected to parliament and became a Member of Parliament (MP).

Later Work

Maria das Neves is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. This is a group of women who are or have been presidents or prime ministers around the world. The group's goal is to bring together top women leaders. They work together on important issues that affect women and fair development globally.

See also

In Spanish: Maria das Neves para niños