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Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guineaâs President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has won the re-election bid in the central African country making this his sixth term in office for the worldâs longest-serving president for over four decades. The announcement was made by his son and Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, on Saturday, six days after the vote.
The 80-year-old has won the re-election with 95 per cent of the votes which amounts to nearly 405,910 votes, said the vice president. Meanwhile, electoral commission head Faustino Ndong Esono Eyang confirmed that Obiang will serve another seven years as the president and said that the voter turnout rate for the election was 98 per cent, reported AFP.
The landslide victory came amid the incumbent presidentâs strong rule on the oil-rich central African nation of 1.5 million people. According to the countryâs vice president, their ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) and coalition won 55 seats in the Senate and 100 seats in the lower house which is also known as the Chamber of Deputies.
âThe definitive results prove us right againâ, said the vice president in a tweet. He added, âWe continue to prove to be a great political party!â. Furthermore, he also said that the president can appoint the remaining 15 senate seats. President Obiang seized power in 1979 after a military takeover and has managed to avoid several coup attempts since.
Notably, the incumbent president has repeatedly been re-elected with over 90 per cent votes in a country with only one other legitimate opposition party. Furthermore, reports suggest that media is heavily controlled, protests are mostly forbidden and political opponents are often arrested and tortured in Equatorial Guinea. Earlier this year, the government abolished the death penalty a move that was praised by the United Nations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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