History and Government
History
The area now occupied by Equatorial Guinea and the island of Bioko was first colonised by the Portuguese in the late 15th century and developed as a major slave market. In 1788 the territory was handed over to the Spanish who ran it as a protectorate of Spanish Guinea until 1959. At this point the colony was granted internal self-government and full independence followed in 1968. The first decade was blighted by the brutal and incompetent rule of President Macias Nguema. He was overthrown in a military coup led by his nephew, Lieutenant Colonel Teodoro Obiang, in 1979. Initially, conditions improved somewhat, as Equatorial Guinea gained international recognition and aid; it also joined the CFA Franc Zone. Relations with Spain, the former colonial power, remained touchy, as its bilateral aid was made dependent on progress in democratising the political system.
Throughout the 1980s, Obiang maintained his opposition to the establishment of a multi-party system while shoring up his position at home through systematic repression. A democratic constitution was finally conceded in 1991 and the first multi-party legislative elections were held in November 1993. However, the government’s conduct of the election was such that the main opposition movement boycotted the poll, alleging systematic intimidation manipulation. Consequently the Obiang-controlled Partido Democratico Guinea Ecuatorial (PDGE) won a substantial majority of seats. This pattern of malpractice has continued more or less unabated at every election – for both the presidency and the national assembly – which has been held since then. Obiang was elected unopposed at the end of 1995, and again in December 2002, after all the main opposition candidates had withdrawn. The main opposition leader at present, Placido Mico Abojo, was jailed in June 2002 for allegedly plotting a coup against Obiang. Similarly, the PDGE has won every legislative election since 1993 amid opposition boycotts. Although his PDSGE party has a stranglehold on political power, there has been a steady turnover of administrations under the capricious Obiang. Miguel Abia Biteo Borico became the new prime minister in June 2004.
As an impoverished African backwater, Equatorial Guinea attracted little international attention, and the EU – the country’s principal source of aid in recent years – had all but given up on it. This has since changed, along with Equatorial Guinea’s economic fortunes, following the discovery of oil and gas deposits in the Gulf of Guinea. This windfall has had two other important consequences. Firstly, the resolution of a long-standing territorial dispute with Nigeria in September 2000, since when the two countries have begun joint explorations. Secondly, the revival of independence aspirations on the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Po), which is part of Equatorial Guinean territory and hosts most of the new oil and gas facilities. Unfortunately, it has done little to change the corrupt, inept and abusive behaviour of the Obiang government.
Government
The new constitution, approved in a 1991 referendum, allows for the introduction of multi-party politics and an elected presidency and legislature. The President is elected for a seven-year term, while the 80-seat Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (House of People’s Representatives) is elected in multi-member constituencies for a five-year term.
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