[1] He is the son of Miguel Trovoada, who was President of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1991 to 2001,[2] and was named after Patrice Lumumba,[1] the first Prime Minister of Congo (Léopoldville).

[9][10] The motion, introduced by the opposition Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD), received 30 votes in favor, 23 opposed, and two abstaining.

[10] In June, Menezes asked the MLSTP/PSD to form a government, and it chose its leader, Joaquim Rafael Branco, as prime minister.

[11] After the 2010 parliamentary election, Trovoada returned as prime minister on 14 August 2010, but left office on 13 December 2012, after his government had lost its majority in parliament.

However, the parliamentary election of 2014 again produced a majority for Trovoada's Independent Democratic Action party, with 33 of the 55 seats in the National Assembly, and he was again appointed to head a new government.