The longest serving president in the world will remain in power for the foreseeable future. According to the official results of the presidential elections in Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, won with almost 95% of the vote. His son, who is also vice president, reports it on Twitter. Obiang rules with an iron fist and there is no real opposition in the country.
The election results are no surprise. In the 43 years that Obiang has been president of Equatorial Guinea, he has always won with more than 90 percent of the vote.
Critics say there is no democracy in the country. Obiang’s political opponents are being arrested and tortured, protests are banned and there is no freedom of the press in the country, according to human rights groups.
Since independence from Spain in 1968, Equatorial Guinea has had only two presidents. The former was Obiang’s uncle, but he was deposed when the current president staged a coup in 1979.
Obiang’s Democratic Party also won all seats in Equatorial Guinea’s senate and parliament during the Nov. 20 election. “The end result proves we are right,” the vice president tweeted. “That we are the best political party.”
