<P> By the late 1950s , when other emerging nations across the African Continent were demanding independence , a small group of São Toméans had formed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe ( MLSTP ) , which eventually established its base in nearby Gabon . Picking up momentum in the 1960s , events moved quickly after the overthrow of the Caetano dictatorship in Portugal in April 1974 . The new Portuguese regime was committed to the dissolution of its overseas colonies ; in November 1974 , their representatives met with the MLSTP in Algiers and worked out an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty . After a period of transitional government , São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12 , 1975 , choosing as its first president the MLSTP Secretary General Manuel Pinto da Costa . </P>
<P> By the late 1950s , when other emerging nations across the African Continent were demanding independence , a small group of São Toméans had formed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe ( MLSTP ) , which eventually established its base in nearby Gabon . Picking up momentum in the 1960s , events moved quickly after the overthrow of the Caetano dictatorship in Portugal in April 1974 . The new Portuguese regime was committed to the dissolution of its overseas colonies ; in November 1974 , their representatives met with the MLSTP in Algiers and worked out an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty . After a period of transitional government , São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12 , 1975 , choosing as its first president the MLSTP Secretary General Manuel Pinto da Costa . </P>
when did sao tome and principe gain independence
when did sao tome and principe gain independence
July 12 , 1975
July 12 , 1975