Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, born in 1942, president of Equatorial Guinea (1979- ). Born to the Esangui (Fang) ethnic group at Acoacan, in mainland Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema went to secondary school in Bata and underwent military training at Zaragoza Military Academy in Spain from 1963 to 1965. His uncle Francisco Macías Nguema was elected Equatorial Guinea's first president in 1968, and Obiang Nguema was appointed military governor of the island of Fernando Póo (currently Bioko). In 1975 he became the tyrannical President Macías Nguema's personal aide-de-camp (military assistant). Early in 1979 one of Obiang Nguema's brothers, who complained about not receiving the wages he was due, was executed on Macías Nguema's orders, and Obiang Nguema began plotting the overthrow of his uncle. In August 1979 Obiang Nguema (then a lieutenant-colonel) seized power with the support of the Supreme Military Council. Obiang Nguema proclaimed an amnesty for refugees overseas and released an estimated 5000 political prisoners, but his close identification with the Macías Nguema regime (even after Macías Nguema's trial and execution) meant that most were still afraid to return home.

After being sworn in as president in October 1979, Obiang Nguema continued his uncle's policies of absolute personal control and extensive corruption. He took over companies he coveted, executed opponents, and ruled through a single-party state. A series of coup attempts were harshly subdued. A new constitution approved by 95 percent of the voters in 1982 provided for a return to civilian government after a seven-year transitional period, but it also gave him nearly total powers as president. In 1985 and 1986, the United Nations Human Rights Commission complained of flagrant and repeated violations of human rights in the country.

In 1987 Obiang Nguema ended his ban on formal political activity and announced the establishment of the official single legal party, the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish acronym, PDGE). In 1988 he began taking steps to consolidate his power by arresting opposition leadership. As the sole candidate in 1989, he was reconfirmed for another term. A new constitution legalized opposition political parties in 1991 and 1992, but Obiang Nguema placed restrictions that eliminated most of the opposition, at the time living in exile outside the country. By mid-1993, 13 small opposition parties had been recognized, and a number of opposition leaders had received amnesty. Soon thereafter, however, Obiang Nguema again arrested many of the important leaders. He was reelected president in 1996 and 2002, each time reportedly receiving at least 99 percent of the vote.