Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Fradique de Menezes
Fradique de Menezes (born March 21, 1942) is the President of São Tomé and Príncipe (2001 - 2003, 2003 - present).
Fradique de Menezes was born on the island of São Tomé in 1942, before São Tomé and Príncipe got its independence from Portugal. He got a good education, and attended school all through college, and graduated from the Free University of Brussels. Menezes is a successful businessman. He was foreign minister of São Tome and Principe from 1986 until 1987. He was elected President in July 2001 with 56.3% of the vote, defeating former president Manuel Pinto da Costa, who received about 38%. He took office on September 3, 2001. He had to renounce his Portuguese citizenship before he was allowed to run. On July 16, 2003, whilst he was away in Nigeria, there was a military coup d'etat led by Fernando Pereira, but Menezes was restored on July 23 2003, following negotiations.
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