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 3 October 2002 – September 2004
President	Fradique de Menezes
Preceded by	Gabriel Costa
Succeeded by	Damião Vaz d'Almeida
Personal details
Born	(1958-07-11) 11 July 1958 (age 67) São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe
Political party	MLSTP–PSD
Education	University of Santiago de Cuba

Maria das Neves Ceita Baptista de Sousa (born 11 July 1958) is a politician and economist from São Tomé and Príncipe. She made history as the first woman to become Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, serving from 2002 to 2004.

Maria das Neves was a member of the MLSTP–PSD political party. She was Prime Minister during a difficult time, including an attempted coup in 2003. After her time as Prime Minister, she continued to be active in politics. She served in the National Assembly and ran for president several times. In 2024, she became the leader of the Lusíada University of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Early Life and Career

Maria das Neves was born on 11 July 1958 in São Tomé, the capital city. She studied finance and credit at the University of Santiago de Cuba from 1980 to 1987.

After her studies, she worked at the Ministry of Finance in São Tomé and Príncipe. There, she led the Statistics Bureau. She also worked with important international organizations like the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and UNICEF. These roles helped her gain a lot of experience in economics and development.

Entering Politics

In 1999, Maria das Neves became the Minister of Economics. Later, in 2001, she took on the role of Minister of Finance.

In 2002, she was elected as a representative for her party, MLSTP-PSD, in the National Assembly. Soon after, she was appointed Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism.

The country's government was facing challenges because no single party had a clear majority. To find a solution, the main political parties chose Maria das Neves to become the new Prime Minister.

Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe

Maria das Neves officially became Prime Minister on 3 October 2002. This was a very important moment because she was the first woman to hold this high office in São Tomé and Príncipe. Her government included several women in key positions.

Key Focus Areas

As Prime Minister, Maria das Neves focused on important issues for her country.

• Managing Debt: She believed that the country's external debt (money owed to other countries or organizations) was the most important problem to solve.
• Developing Industry: She worked to grow industries in São Tomé and Príncipe, especially focusing on oil. However, she also wanted to make sure the country's economy didn't rely too much on just one thing like oil.
• Boosting Tourism: Maria das Neves also put effort into developing a tourism industry to attract visitors to the beautiful islands.

In early 2003, there was a disagreement between Prime Minister das Neves and President Fradique de Menezes about changes to the country's laws. Maria das Neves worked with the Supreme Court to help resolve the situation.

The 2003 Coup Attempt

On 16 July 2003, there was an attempted coup (a sudden, illegal takeover of the government). Maria das Neves was arrested at her home during this event. She experienced a health issue and was taken to the hospital.

After about a week, an agreement was reached, and the coup ended peacefully. Maria das Neves resigned as Prime Minister on 1 August 2003. However, President Fradique de Menezes convinced her to stay in her role. She was reappointed Prime Minister on 9 August and formed a new government with different political parties.

Government Changes and Dismissal

In March 2004, Maria das Neves asked two of her ministers to leave their positions. This happened because they had made agreements with other countries or companies without her approval. This caused some conflict within her government.

In September 2004, President de Menezes removed Maria das Neves from her position as Prime Minister. She was replaced by Damião Vaz d'Almeida.

After Being Prime Minister

Even after her time as Prime Minister, Maria das Neves remained involved in public life.

Continued Political Work

She was reelected to the National Assembly in 2006. There, she became the head of the Committee on Human Rights and Gender Issues. In this role, she successfully supported laws to make violence against women a crime.

In April 2009, she became the first president of the Network of Women Parliamentarians for the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. This group helps connect women lawmakers from countries where Portuguese is spoken.

Presidential Elections

Maria das Neves ran for president of São Tomé and Príncipe three times as an independent candidate:

• In the 2011 presidential election, she came in fourth place.
• In the 2016 presidential election, she placed third.
• In the 2021 presidential election, she finished fifth.

In 2024, Maria das Neves was appointed as the rector (the head) of the Lusíada University of São Tomé and Príncipe.

See also

In Spanish: Maria das Neves para niños