SAO TOME, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe's Constitutional Court on Tuesday officially declared incumbent President Carlos Vila Nova the president-elect after completing the final tabulation of the July 19 presidential election.
Announcing the final certified results, Constitutional Court President Artur Vera Cruz said Vila Nova received 31,613 votes, representing 55.88 percent of the valid ballots, securing re-election in the first round.
According to the Constitutional Court, a total of 56,574 valid votes were counted, representing about 40 percent of registered voters.
Vila Nova's main challenger, Nito d'Abreu, received 23,457 votes, or 41.46 percent of the valid ballots.
The National Electoral Commission had announced provisional results on July 20, showing Vila Nova winning the presidency in the first round with 55.94 percent of the valid votes. ■