Washington – The US government on Tuesday expressed “serious doubts” about the legitimacy of the re-election, officially by a landslide, of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
In power since 1979, Obiang was re-elected in the Central African oil country which he rules with an iron fist and in the face of a muzzled opposition, according to official results announced on Saturday.
“Given the scale of irregularities observed and the announced results giving the [president’s party] PDGE 94.9 percent of the vote, we have serious doubts about the credibility of the announced results,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
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The November 20 election was marred by “credible allegations of significant election-related irregularities, including documented instances of fraud, intimidation, and coercion,” said Price in a statement.
“We urge Equatoguinean authorities … to fully address these credible allegations of voter fraud,” he added.
With more than 43 years at the helm, Obiang holds the record for longest-serving head of state outside of a monarchy. The 80-year-old patriarch leads one of the most closed and authoritarian regimes in the world.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@DanielLuutaya
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