Maria das Neves
Encyclopedia
Maria das Neves Ceita Baptista de Sousa (born 1958) is a former Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
.
She is a member of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party
(MLSTP-PSD).
Before becoming head of government
, Maria das Neves worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance and in the African Development Bank
. She held major government posts as Minister of Economics
(1999-2001) and of Commerce
, Industry
, and Tourism
(2002).
head of government.
President Fradique de Menezes
appointed das Neves as a Prime Minister after the previous three-party Government of National Unity led by Gabriel Costa
collapsed following complaints from the army
over recent promotions.
Prime Minister Maria das Neves is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders
, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
during a short-lived coup d'état
. Other key government officials were also detained. The democratically elected government was restored a week later.
Maria das Neves resigned as Prime Minister on 1 August 2003, but three days later President Menezes reaffirmed his confidence in her. She retained her post when a new cabinet was sworn in on 9 August 2003.
President Menezes dismissed her from the post on 15 September 2004 and asked her party to choose a new Prime Minister, after allegations of corruption were brought against her and members of her government which led to a near total collapse of her government. She denies participating in any corrupt practices. Three days after her dismissal, a new government led by Damião Vaz d'Almeida
was sworn in.
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
.
She is a member of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party
Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe
The Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party or Movimento de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe/Partido Social Democrata, in Portuguese, is one of the main political parties in São Tomé and Príncipe...
(MLSTP-PSD).
Before becoming head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, Maria das Neves worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance and in the African Development Bank
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
. She held major government posts as Minister of Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
(1999-2001) and of Commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, Industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, and Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
(2002).
Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
She held the post of Prime Minister from 3 October 2002 until 18 September 2004, and was the nation's first femaleFemale
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
head of government.
President Fradique de Menezes
Fradique de Menezes
Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes was the President of São Tomé and Príncipe from 2003 to 2011.-Early life:Menezes was born on the then Portuguese colony of São Tomé in 1942, the son of a Portuguese man and a local woman. He attended high school in Portugal...
appointed das Neves as a Prime Minister after the previous three-party Government of National Unity led by Gabriel Costa
Gabriel Costa
Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira da Costa is a former prime minister of São Tomé and Príncipe.-Prime minister:Before becoming Prime Minister Costa was ambassador to Portugal, from where he was appointed as Prime Minister to lead a coalition government in April 2002...
collapsed following complaints from the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
over recent promotions.
Prime Minister Maria das Neves is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders
Council of Women World Leaders
The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents established in 1996 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland and first woman in the world to be democratically elected president, and Laura Liswood, Secretary General...
, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
Coup-d'état, 2003; subsequent events
On 16 July 2003, she was detained and briefly hospitalized after suffering a mild heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
during a short-lived coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. Other key government officials were also detained. The democratically elected government was restored a week later.
Maria das Neves resigned as Prime Minister on 1 August 2003, but three days later President Menezes reaffirmed his confidence in her. She retained her post when a new cabinet was sworn in on 9 August 2003.
President Menezes dismissed her from the post on 15 September 2004 and asked her party to choose a new Prime Minister, after allegations of corruption were brought against her and members of her government which led to a near total collapse of her government. She denies participating in any corrupt practices. Three days after her dismissal, a new government led by Damião Vaz d'Almeida
Damião Vaz d'Almeida
Damião Vaz d'Almeida is a former Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe and vice-president of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe-Social Democratic Party...
was sworn in.