The world’s longest-serving head of state, the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has been sworn in for a sixth term in office.
The 80-year-old Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo took the presidential oath before to viewing a military parade.
He said that he was the leader of all Equatorial Guineans and always will be. In a coup in 1979, he first took over.
Elections since then, according to critics, have been manipulated, with the government and its allies essentially preventing the opposition from participating and controlling the media.
Obiang is regarded as authoritarian leader. He has been widely accused of corruption and abuse of power. Under his rule, Equatorial Guinea continues to have one of the worst human rights records in the world. In marked contrast to the trend toward democracy in most of Africa, Equatorial Guinea is currently a dominant-party state, in which Obiang’s PDGE holds virtually all governing power in the nation and has held all or almost all seats in the legislature since its creation.
The constitution provides Obiang sweeping powers, including the right to rule by decree, effectively making his government a legal dictatorship. Obiang has placed family members in key government positions.
In July 2003, state-operated radio declared Obiang “the country’s god” with “all power over men and things.” It added that the president was “in permanent contact with the Almighty” and “can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell.” He personally made similar comments in 1993.
Obiang has encouraged his cult of personality by ensuring that public speeches end in well-wishing for himself rather than for the nation as a whole. Many important buildings have a presidential lodge, many towns and cities have streets commemorating Obiang’s coup against Macías, and many people wear clothes with his face printed on them.