Equatorial Guinea holds presidential election

Equatorial Guinea is holding presidential election on Sunday which the outgoing President Teodoro Obiang Nguema is facing 6 other candidates to contest the post of next president for a term of 7 years.

According to the National Electoral Board President Clemente Engonga Nguema Onguene who is also first vice prime minister and interior minister, 323,954 registered voters are qualified to vote in 1357 polling stations in the country, and 8086 overseas registered voters are qualified to vote in 40 polling stations abroad.

The polling stations are open from 8 a.m. local time and are expected to close at 7 p.m. local time. The result is supposed to be released in one week.

Like many African countries, there are two rounds of elections, if no candidate wins majority of the votes, a second tour is necessary to be held.

The election campaign started on April 8 and ended on April 22. While talking to media after the campaign, Obiang said the support he had seen in the campaign guarantees his victory in the election.

Obiang led a coup in August 1979 which toppled the then leader Francisco Macias Nguema. In 1982, He was elected president for a seven-year term. Obiang was re-elected in 1989, 1996, 2002 and 2009, each time with more than 90 percent of votes.

The central African country, the third biggest oil producer after Nigeria and Angola in sub-Sahara region, covers 28,051 square kms with a population of around one million. It is made up of two parts: the mainland part which borders Cameroon and Gabon, and islands where the capital Malabo is located.

Source: XINHUA