| | The February 1996 Elections: In the Equatoguinean presidential elections held on Saturday 25 February, the incumbent President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, not surprisingly won an overwhelming victory receiving 99% of the vote. On Malabo Island 99.24% of the 76% turnout voted for Obiang, the candidate for the PDGE (Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial). In Bata, on the mainland, he received 99.69% of the vote (El Pais, 27 February 1996). This is the third time since coming to power in a bloody coup in 1979 in which he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías, that Obiang has attempted to give a semblance of legitimacy to his rule by seeking a popular mandate. In June 1989, in elections in which he was the only candidate, Obiang won 99.96% of the vote. In November 1993 he again won an overwhelming majority following the withdrawal of the opposition parties from the electoral process. |
