Miguel Trovoada

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Miguel Trovoada

Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada (born 1936) was a former Prime Minister (1975–1979) and President of São Tomé and Príncipe (1991-2001).

Born in the city of São Tomé, Trovoada attended secondary school in Angola before studying law at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. In 1960 he cofounded, with former classmate Manuel Pinto da Costa, the Committee for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (CLSTP) - which was renamed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe in 1972. Operating out of its headquarters in Gabon, Trovoada served as the movement's foreign affairs director from 1961 to 1975 and was instrumental in gaining Organization of African Unity (OAU) recognition for the MLSTP in 1972.

Trovoada served as the nation's first Prime Minister (12 July 1975 - March 1979), but relations between the President and Prime Minister soon deteriorated, culminating in 1979 when President da Costa abolished the post of Prime Minister. Several months later, Trovoada was charged with plotting against the government. After being arrested and detained for 21 months, Trovoada went into exile in France. In May 1990, following the adoption of a democratic constitution, he returned to the country and campaigned for president.

In 1991, Trovoada was elected president in the country's first multiparty presidential election and was re-elected in 1996. When he ran for president, he was not a member of any political party, but by the end of his first term he had formed a new political party - Independent Democratic Action (ADI).

His government was briefly overthrown in a coup d'etat from 15 August 1995 to 21 August 1995.

President Trovoada's term ended on 3 September 2001 when Fradique de Menezes was sworn in as the new head of state. Miguel Trovoada's son Patrice Trovoada is also a politician.

Preceded by (–)	Foreign Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe 1975	Succeeded by Leonel Mário d'Alva
Preceded by Leonel Mário d'Alva	Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe 1975–1979	Succeeded by Post Abolished
Preceded by Manuel Pinto da Costa	President of São Tomé and Príncipe 1991–2001	Succeeded by Fradique de Menezes