Equatorial Guineans go to the polls on Sunday as President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the world’s longest-serving president, looks for another mandate in a country considered one of the most repressive in the world.
Obiang, 80, has been at the helm at the oil-rich state for the past 43 years, after taking power from his uncle in a coup d’état in 1979.
His victory in the polls would mark a sixth term.
Equatorial Guinea holds elections on Sunday in which the world's longest-standing leader President Teodoro Obiang Nguema will seek to extend his 43-year authoritarian rule, marked by alleged rights abuses and corruption. https://t.co/V6epXABhrF
— Tutu Alicante (@TutuAlicante) November 18, 2022
Official results of past elections said that Obiang received more than 90 percent of the vote.
Human rights groups contend that the media is muzzled and protests are banned in the country of 1.5 million people, most of whom live in dire poverty.
The Spanish-speaking country gained its independence from Spain in 1968, and has had only Obiang’s uncle, Francisco Macias, and Obiang himself as rulers.
Oil rich
About 75 percent of Equatorial Guinea’s GDP comes from its oil output. While originally producing 160,000 barrels per day, the number has recently dropped to 93,000.
Despite the oil, most Equatorial Guineans live in poverty, with little access to healthcare and education.
Obiang is known for his flashy lifestyle. His son, Vice President Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, has inherited his expensive tastes, with a penchant for luxury cars and Michael Jackson memorabilia.
Obiang junior was convicted in a French court in 2020 of profiting from ill-gotten gains, and of embezzling Equatorial Guinean money to buy French real estate and luxury cars.
Father and son deny any wrongdoing.
Election tensions
Obiang's contenders in Sunday's vote include Andres Esono Ondo and Buenaventura Monsuy Asumu.
Parliamentary and local elections will be held at the same time as the presidential election.
Intimidation of opposition parties and critics has been the norm, according to activists.
Security forces raided the headquarters of a banned opposition party in September, arresting 100 of its members.
Repression before the vote has offset efforts by Obiang to improve his image abroad, including a move to abolish the death penalty earlier this year.
The country has been hit with rising food prices due to the war in Ukraine, a challenge Obiang will have to confront if elected again.
