Equatorial Guinea History

Already 8,000 years ago the San (Bushmen) lived as gatherers and small animal hunters in the dense rainforests. From AD 1000, the Bantus immigrated, who made their living by farming and raising livestock.

In 1469 the Portuguese discovered Fernão do Pó the later (in Spanish) named after him island Bioko (Fernando Póo) and the island Pagalu (Spanish Annobón [German »good year«]). In 1778 the Portuguese ceded these islands and the mainland zone behind them (today Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon) to Spain in exchange for land in Brazil. In 1843 Spain declared Fernando Póo and the coastal area behind it to be Spanish territory and granted the population Spanish citizenship. In 1938, Spain united the territories with the Río Muni on the African mainland, which was (finally) acquired in 1900, to form the “Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea” (territories on the Gulf of Guinea). In 1959 the Spanish provinces of Fernando Póo (with Annobón) and Río Muni were formed with limited self-government and in 1963 were combined to form the province of Equatorial Guinea (full autonomy in 1964). After a referendum, Equatorial Guinea gained independence on October 12, 1968. Became president F. Macías Nguema from the people of the Fang, who hold the dominant position in the country up to the present day.

After unrest, which was based in particular on ethnic tensions between the islanders and the mainland residents, Macías Nguema set up a dictatorial system of government with strong features of personal arbitrariness with the help of the army. Most of the Europeans then left the country. In 1973 the dictator announced a new constitution, according to which, among other things, the president, who was appointed for life, was also chairman of the military council and thus exercised sole power. In 1976 Macías ordered Nguema 15 years of forced labor for all residents of the country. As a result, a third of the population fled to neighboring countries. Based on organizations devoted to him, v. a. the youth organization Juventud en marcha con Macías (Youth on the rise with Macías) and the Unity Party Partido U nico Nacional de los Trabajadores (PUNT, National Unity Party of workers), he had about 10 000 people who were suspected of opposition, murder.

On August 5th, 1979, a group of officers overthrew the dictator. At the head of the “Supreme Military Council” and a military government, Colonel Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo took over the leadership of the country as the new president (elected in 1989, 1996, 2002 and 2009). He had Macías Nguema, his uncle, executed and established one-party rule with the Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial (PDGE, Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea).

Equatorial Guinea, which was previously largely isolated in terms of foreign policy, subsequently concluded cooperation agreements with several African and European countries. Domestically, the government’s repressive actions against members of the opposition repeatedly led to protests and demonstrations. With the new constitution (under pressure from foreign donor countries) adopted by referendum in 1991, a pro forma democratization process was initiated and a decision was made to introduce a multi-party system. Since then, numerous, predominantly smaller, opposition parties have emerged.

In contrast to the formally democratic structures of rule since 1991, Mbasogo’s system of government was retained however, dictatorial traits (with the persecution, imprisonment and also murder of political opponents). The parliamentary elections on November 21, 1993, which had been postponed several times and were held for the first time since independence in 1968 and boycotted by the opposition united in a platform because of electoral disadvantage, won the ruling party PDGE. However, this election result was not recognized internationally as a correct and democratic vote. The PDGE also secured an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections on March 7, 1999. The opposition described the election as a farce and lamented obstacles to voting and massive election fraud. In 2000, a border conflict with Nigeria was ended. As a result of a failed coup attempt in March 2002, allegedly those involved in a show trial were sentenced to prison terms of between 6 and 20 years. Another attempted coup was put down in March 2004. As a result, numerous nationals from neighboring countries Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Ivory Coast were expelled from the country. After the parliamentary elections on April 25, 2004, the opposition only had two seats in parliament. Parliamentary elections were held again in 2008 without any improvement in the opposition’s participation in political life. In 2010 an armed attack on the presidential palace was repulsed by the security forces. As a result, numerous nationals from neighboring countries Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Ivory Coast were expelled from the country. After the parliamentary elections on April 25, 2004, the opposition only had two seats in parliament. Parliamentary elections were held again in 2008 without any improvement in the opposition’s participation in political life. In 2010 an armed attack on the presidential palace was repulsed by the security forces. As a result, numerous nationals from neighboring countries Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Ivory Coast were expelled from the country. After the parliamentary elections on April 25, 2004, the opposition only had two seats in parliament. Parliamentary elections were held again in 2008 without any improvement in the opposition’s participation in political life. In 2010 an armed attack on the presidential palace was repulsed by the security forces.

In a referendum in November 2011, the amendment to the 1991 constitution was approved by the government with 97.7% of the vote. With the constitutional amendment, among other things. the term of office of the president is limited to two seven-year terms from the next election and a senate is introduced as the second chamber of parliament. The president’s son Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (* 1971) took over the newly created office of second Vice President in May 2012. On the basis of the amended constitution, elections to the bicameral parliament took place on May 26, 2013. The ruling party PDGE and its allies won 99 of the 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 54 of the 55 eligible senatorial seats. The opposition CPDS had 1 seat each in both chambers. Before the election, opposition activists had been arrested and websites critical of the government had been blocked. As in 2011, the General Assembly of the African Union took place in the capital Malabo in 2014. In the same year the country became part of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). In the presidential elections on April 24, 2016, which were boycotted by the democratic opposition, the population confirmed Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with 93.7% of the vote, according to government information.

According to prozipcodes, relations with the former colonial power Spain are strained, as numerous opposition members live in exile in Spain (around 40,000).

Equatorial Guinea History

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