São Tomé and Príncipe's President, Carlos Vila Nova, has won a second five-year term, securing more than 55 percent of the vote and avoiding a runoff, according to preliminary results. Vila Nova ran as an independent after splitting with the party that first brought him to power. The cocoa-producing island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250 kilometres off the coast of Gabon, is regarded as one of Africa's most stable democracies, but the president begins his new term facing economic challenges and a politically divided landscape.  Professor Gerhard Seibert, Research Associate at the Centre for International Studies at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, author of several books on the history and politics of São Tomé and Príncipe, and one of the world's leading experts on the country, joins us now to help us unpack the election result and what it means for the country's political future.

<p>S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; and Pr&iacute;ncipe's President, Carlos Vila Nova, has won a second five-year term, securing more than 55 percent of the vote and avoiding a runoff, according to preliminary results. Vila Nova ran as an independent after splitting with the party that first brought him to power. The cocoa-producing island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250 kilometres off the coast of Gabon, is regarded as one of Africa's most stable democracies, but the president begins his new term facing economic challenges and a politically divided landscape. &nbsp;Professor Gerhard Seibert, Research Associate at the Centre for International Studies at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, author of several books on the history and politics of S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; and Pr&iacute;ncipe, and one of the world's leading experts on the country, joins us now to help us unpack the election result and what it means for the country's political future.</p>