Obiang’s 80-year reign has been marked by the torture of political opponents, rigged elections and corruption, according to rights groups and foreign powers. Obiang denies such accusations.
Under his rule, the West African country has become increasingly reclusive and dependent on oil and gas, which provide about three-quarters of state revenue. The money is filling the pockets of those close to the president while the majority of the nation lives in poverty, rights groups say.
His son, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, a jet setter who loves parties, fast cars and jewelry, and who was convicted of embezzlement by a French court in 2020, said on Twitter on Friday that his father had been nominated to represent himself “because of his charisma, his leadership and his political experience”.
Another mandate will bring new challenges. The economy has been hit by COVID-19 and a drop in oil prices, although the war in Ukraine and the resulting need for non-Russian oil and gas may help boost growth.
Widespread poverty remains. This was highlighted when a series of explosions at an army barracks flattened part of the coastal town of Bata last year, killing around 100 people and triggering an aid response from the former colonial power, Spain.