According to an AFP report, 80-year-old, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for more than 43 years, will run for a sixth term this November, his son, the Vice President said.
Apart from Monarchs, Obiang is the longest-ruling head of state in the world. Obiang seized power in a coup in 1979 that led to the execution of his feared, ruthless uncle and predecessor Francisco Macias Nguema. Ever since he has been the leader of the small oil-rich nation. It should be noted that he has never been officially re-elected with less than 93% of the votes.
Although his son, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue popularly known as ‘Teodorin’ made the announcement, it is quite unclear if his father would stand again or whether his son would succeed him.
“Because of his charisma, his leadership, and his political experience”, the ruling party unanimously chose Obiang as its candidate for the November 20 poll, Obiang Mangue wrote on Twitter.
His party, The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) holds 99 of the 100 seats in the outgoing lower house of parliament and all 70 of the senate seats.
But it had not been clear who would be named as the party’s candidate on the presidential ballot. No other candidate has so far been declared.
Obiang might now be set for another seven years as President.
Last year, Teodorin seemed to have been lined up to stand in the elections. In the end, however, and to general surprise, he was not chosen as a candidate last November.
Observers and diplomats pointed to a power struggle between Teodorin and certain regime figures who did not want to see the president’s son taking over the reins of power.
The small, oil-rich country had previously announced it was bringing forward the presidential vote by five months. The presidential election and parliamentary elections will hold simultaneously.
Holding the two costly votes together was necessary at a time of economic crisis due to the Ukraine conflict and the pandemic, it said.
Equatorial Guinea, one of the world’s most authoritarian countries abolished the death penalty, state television announced on Monday citing a new law signed by the president.
International rights groups regularly accuse the authorities in the former Spanish colony of human rights abuse
