Editing Equatorial Guinea (section)

== Government and politics ==
{{Main|Politics of Equatorial Guinea|Foreign relations of Equatorial Guinea}}

[[File:Autobahnbau in Oyala.JPG|thumb|Highway construction in [[Ciudad de la Paz]] in 2010. Ciudad de la Paz will be the future [[Capital city|capital]] of Equatorial Guinea.]]
[[File:Presidential palace in malabo equatorial guinea.png|thumb|Presidential palace of Teodoro Obiang in Malabo]]

The current president of Equatorial Guinea is Teodoro Obiang. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea gives him extensive powers, including naming and dismissing members of the cabinet, making laws by decree, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives, negotiating and ratifying treaties and serving as commander in chief of the armed forces.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} According to [[Human Rights Watch]], the dictatorship of President Obiang used an [[oil boom]] to entrench and enrich itself further at the expense of the country's people.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174 BBC News – Equatorial Guinea country profile – Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716225956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13317174|date=16 July 2018}}. Bbc.co.uk (11 December 2012). Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> Since August 1979, some 12 perceived unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred.<ref name="HRW">{{cite web |author=Vines, Alex |date=9 July 2009 |title=Well Oiled |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204205408/http://www.hrw.org/en/node/84252/section/3 |archive-date=4 February 2011 |access-date=21 January 2011 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref> According to a March 2004 BBC profile,<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaxson |first=Nicholas |date=17 March 2004 |title=Profile: Equatorial Guinea's great survivor |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3516588.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040612221158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3516588.stm |archive-date=12 June 2004 |access-date=3 December 2004 |work=BBC News}}</ref> politics within the country were dominated by tensions with Obiang's son, [[Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue]].

[[File:Equatorial Guinea Map.png|thumb|left|Map of Equatorial Guinea made by the [[CIA]] in 1992]]

In 2004, a planeload of suspected mercenaries was intercepted in [[Zimbabwe]] while allegedly on the way to overthrow Obiang. A November 2004 report<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/26/1093518010003.html|title=Thatcher faces 15 years in prison|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=27 August 2004|access-date=20 February 2020|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227001157/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/26/1093518010003.html|url-status=live}}</ref> named [[Mark Thatcher]] as a financial backer of the [[2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt]] organized by [[Simon Mann]]. Various accounts also named the United Kingdom's [[Secret Intelligence Service|MI6]], the United States' [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], and Spain as tacit supporters of the coup attempt.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20040829/ai_n12590798/?tag=content;col1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514042718/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20040829/ai_n12590798/?tag=content%3Bcol1|archive-date=14 May 2011|title=The US knew, Spain knew, Britain knew. Whose coup was it?|newspaper=Sunday Herald|date=29 August 2004|first=Neil|last=MacKay}}</ref> Nevertheless, the [[Amnesty International]] report released in June 2005 on the ensuing trial of those allegedly involved highlighted the prosecution's failure to produce conclusive evidence that a coup attempt had actually taken place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR240052005?open&of=ENG-GNQ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060212211811/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR240052005?open&of=ENG-GNQ|archive-date=12 February 2006|title=Equatorial Guinea, A trial with too many flaws|publisher=Amnesty International|date=7 June 2005}}</ref> Simon Mann was released from prison on 3 November 2009 for humanitarian reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.republicofequatorialguinea.net/news/?newsID=730|title=Presidential Decree|publisher=Republicofequatorialguinea.net|access-date=3 May 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426172517/http://www.republicofequatorialguinea.net/News/?NewsID=730|archive-date=26 April 2010}}</ref>

Since 2005, [[Military Professional Resources Inc.]], a US-based international [[private military company]], has worked in Equatorial Guinea to train police forces in appropriate human rights practices. In 2006, [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Condoleezza Rice]] hailed Obiang as a "good friend" despite repeated criticism of his human rights and civil liberties record. The [[US Agency for International Development]] entered into a [[memorandum of understanding]] (MOU) with Obiang in April 2006 to establish a social development fund in the country, implementing projects in the areas of health, education, women's affairs and the environment.<ref>{{cite web|author=Heather Layman, LPA|url=http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2006/pr060411_2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605153348/http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2006/pr060411_2.html|archive-date=5 June 2011|title=USAID and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea Agree to Unique Partnership for Development|publisher=[[USAID]]|date=11 April 2006|access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2006, Obiang signed an anti-torture decree banning all forms of abuse and improper treatment in Equatorial Guinea, and commissioned the renovation and modernization of Black Beach prison in 2007 to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090802044807/http://www.mpri.com/esite/index.php/content/services/organizational_reform_amp_institutional_capacity_building/ Organizational Reform & Institutional Capacity-Building]. MPRI. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> However, human rights abuses have continued. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International among other non-governmental organizations have documented severe human rights abuses in prisons, including torture, beatings, unexplained deaths and illegal detention.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/equatorial-guinea/report-2009 Equatorial Guinea | Amnesty International]. Amnesty.org. Retrieved on 5 May 2013. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101024443/http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/equatorial-guinea/report-2009 |date=1 November 2014 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2009/equatorial-guinea Equatorial Guinea | Human Rights Watch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028011820/http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2009/equatorial-guinea |date=28 October 2014 }}. Hrw.org. Retrieved on 5 May 2013.</ref> Obiang was re-elected to serve an additional term in 2009 in [[Equatorial Guinean presidential election, 2009|an election]] the [[African Union]] deemed "in line with electoral law".<ref>{{cite web|author=Factoria Audiovisual S.R.L.|url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=259|title=Declaración de la Unión Africana, sobre la supervisión de los comicios electorales – Página Oficial de la Oficina de Información y Prensa de Guinea Ecuatorial|publisher=Guineaecuatorialpress.com|access-date=3 May 2010|archive-date=15 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515072505/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=259|url-status=live}}</ref> Obiang re-appointed Prime Minister Ignacio Milam Tang in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/equatorialGuineaNews/idAFLDE60B26H20100112|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323123726/http://af.reuters.com/article/equatorialGuineaNews/idAFLDE60B26H20100112|archive-date=23 March 2010|title=UPDATE 1-Tang renamed as Equatorial Guinea PM {{pipe}} News by Country|publisher=Af.reuters.com|date=12 January 2010|access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref>[[File:Teodoro Obiang detail, 1650FRP051.jpg|thumb|upright|According to the BBC, President [[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo|Obiang Nguema]] "has been described by rights organisations as one of Africa's most brutal dictators."<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13317174 Equatorial Guinea country profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921201513/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13317174 |date=21 September 2014 }}". BBC News. 8 May 2018.</ref>]]

In November 2011, a new constitution was approved. The vote on the constitution was taken, though neither the text nor its content was revealed to the public before the vote. Under the new constitution, the president was limited to a maximum of two seven-year terms and would be both the head of state and head of the government, therefore eliminating the prime minister. The new constitution also introduced the figure of a vice president and called for the creation of a 70-member senate with 55 senators elected by the people and the 15 remaining designated by the president. In the following cabinet reshuffle, it was announced that there would be two vice-presidents in clear violation of the constitution that was just taking effect.<ref>[http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=2668&lang=en Ignacio Milam Tang, new Vice President of the Nation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225150053/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=2668&lang=en |date=25 February 2021 }}. guineaecuatorialpress.com. 22 May 2012.</ref>

In October 2012, during an interview with [[Christiane Amanpour]] on [[CNN]], Obiang was asked whether he would step down at the end of the current term (2009–2016) since the new constitution limited the number of terms to two and he has been reelected at least 4 times. Obiang answered he refused to step aside because the new constitution was not retroactive and the two-term limit would only become applicable from 2016.<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1210/05/ampr.01.html Interview with President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601125433/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1210/05/ampr.01.html |date=1 June 2013 }}. CNN. 5 October 2012.</ref>

The [[2013 Equatorial Guinean parliamentary election|elections on 26 May 2013]] combined the senate, lower house and mayoral contests in a single package. Like all previous elections, this was denounced by the opposition, and it too was won by Obiang's PDGE. During the electoral contest, the ruling party hosted internal elections, which were later scrapped. Clara Nsegue Eyi and Natalia Angue Edjodjomo, coordinators of the Movimiento de Protesta Popular (People's Protest Movement), were arrested. They were detained on 13 May. They called for a peaceful protest at the Plaza de la Mujer square on 15 May. Coordinator Enrique Nsolo Nzo was also arrested and taken to Malabo Central Police Station. Nsolo Nzo was released later that day without charge.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 May 2013 |title=Equatorial Guinea targets opposition ahead of elections |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/05/equatorial-guinea-targets-opposition-ahead-elections/ |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref>

Shortly after the elections, opposition party Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS) announced that they were going to protest peacefully against the 26 May elections on 25 June.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cpds-gq.org/attachments/article/269/Comunicado_convocatoria_manifestacion.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221031810/http://www.cpds-gq.org/attachments/article/269/Comunicado_convocatoria_manifestacion.pdf |archive-date=21 February 2014|title=Convocatorial de Manifestacion, 25 de Junio 2013|work=cpds-gq.org}}</ref> Interior minister Clemente Engonga refused to authorise the protest on the grounds that it could "destabilize" the country and CPDS decided to go forward, claiming constitutional right. On the night of 24 June, the CPDS headquarters in Malabo were surrounded by heavily armed police officers to keep those inside from leaving and thus effectively blocking the protest. Several leading members of CPDS were detained in Malabo and others in Bata were kept from boarding several local flights to Malabo.<ref>{{cite web |title=Opposition protest dispersed by security forces |url=https://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1690653953&Country=Equatorial+Guinea&topic=Politics&subtopic=Forecast&subsubtopic=Political+stability |website=country.eiu.com |publisher=Economist Intelligence Unit |access-date=8 December 2022 |date=26 June 2013 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208221526/https://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1690653953&Country=Equatorial+Guinea&topic=Politics&subtopic=Forecast&subsubtopic=Political+stability |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Владимир Путин с Президентом Экваториальной Гвинеи.jpg|thumb|Obiang with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] on 26 September 2024]]
In 2016, Obiang [[2016 Equatorial Guinean presidential election|was reelected]] for an additional seven-year term in an election that, according to [[Freedom House]], was plagued by police violence, detentions and torture against opposition factions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/equatorial-guinea/freedom-world/2021|title=Equatorial Guinea:Freedom in the World 2022|author=[[Freedom House]]|newspaper=Freedom House|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-date=5 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405033416/https://freedomhouse.org/country/equatorial-guinea/freedom-world/2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the [[2022 Equatorial Guinean general election|2022 general elections]], President Obiang's [[Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea]] holds all of the 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and all of those in the Senate. The opposition is almost non-existent in the country and is organized from Spain mainly within the social-democratic Convergence for Social Democracy. Most of the media are under state control; the private television channels, those of the Asonga group, belong to the president's family.<ref name="mondediplo.com">{{Cite web|url = https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|title = Equatorial Guinea, one dictatorship to the next|date = November 2021|access-date = 24 November 2021|archive-date = 24 November 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211124023142/https://mondediplo.com/2021/11/11equatorialguinea|url-status = live}}</ref>

In their 2024 publishing, [[Transparency International]] awarded Equatorial Guinea a total score of 13 on their [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] (CPI). CPI ranks countries by their perceived level of public corruption where zero is very corrupt and 100 is extremely clean. Equatorial Guinea was the 173th lowest scoring nation out of a total of 180 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Corruption Perception Index (2024) |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024/index/gnq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925190234/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/gnq |archive-date=25 September 2021 |access-date=21 April 2025 |website=Transparency International}}</ref> Freedom House, a pro-democracy and human rights NGO, described Obiang as one of the world's "most kleptocratic living autocrats", and complained about the US government welcoming his administration and buying oil from it.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 June 2012 |title=Equatorial Guinea: Ignorance worth fistfuls of dollars. |url=https://freedomhouse.org/blog/equatorial-guinea-ignorance-worth-fistfuls-dollars |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623093439/https://freedomhouse.org/blog/equatorial-guinea-ignorance-worth-fistfuls-dollars |archive-date=23 June 2012 |access-date=19 January 2017 |work=Freedom House}}</ref> According to 2023 [[V-Dem Democracy indices]], Equatorial Guinea is the 7th least [[democracy in Africa|democratic country in Africa]].<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208183458/https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |archive-date=8 December 2022 |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>

=== Armed forces ===
[[File:Antonov An-72P, Equatorial Guinea - Air Force AN1593110.jpg|thumb|An [[Antonov An-72]]P of the [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] on lift off]]
The [[Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea]] consists of approximately 2,500 service members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (01/02) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/26446.htm |access-date=12 September 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a [[gendarmerie]], but the number of members is unknown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equatorial Guinea (06/08) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/equatorialguinea/106170.htm |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

According to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]], Equatorial Guinea is the 94th most peaceful country in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Global Peace Index |url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf}}</ref>