Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa, with an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name evokes its location near both the Equator and the Gulf of Guinea. As of 2021, the country had a population of 1,468,777.
The History of Equatorial Guinea is marked by centuries of colonial domination by the Portuguese, British and Spanish colonial empires, and by the local kingdoms.
The politics of Equatorial Guinea take place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President is both the head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Chamber of People's Representatives
The Constitution of Equatorial Guinea is the basic document of that country. It was approved in 1991 and amended in 1995. In 2011, a referendum was held on a series of constitutional amendments.
A referendum on autonomy from Spain was held in Spanish Guinea on 15 December 1963. The result was 62.52% in favour.
A constitutional referendum was held in Equatorial Guinea on 29 July 1973. The new constitution would make the country a one-party state with the newly formed United National Workers' Party as the sole legal party. The officially reported results indicated that the change was approved by 99% of voters.
A constitutional referendum was held in Equatorial Guinea on 15 August 1982 following the overthrow and execution of Francisco Macías Nguema in the 1979 coup d'état. The new constitution replaced the 1973 document and appointed Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo president for seven years, as well as making provisions for the protection of human rights and limited political representation. It was passed by 95.8% of voters with a 93.5% turnout.
Parliamentary elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 28 August 1983, the first since 1973. The new constitution approved in a referendum the previous year provided for a 41-seat Chamber of People's Representatives. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo selected a single candidate for each constituency, which were then approved by voters. No political parties took part in the election, with all candidates standing as independents.
A constitutional referendum was held in Equatorial Guinea on 16 November 1991. The new constitution would replace the one-party state with multi-party politics. It was approved by 98.4% of voters with a 94.3% turnout.
Parliamentary elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 21 November 1993. They were the first multi-party elections in the country since the pre-independence elections of 1968. Although seven parties were allowed to run in the election, the ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) maintained its grip on power, winning 68 of the 80 seats in the enlarged Chamber of People's Representatives. According to official figures, voter turnout was 67%. The Joint Opposition Platform, an alliance of eight opposition parties, called for a boycott and claimed voter turnout was as low as 20%.
A constitutional referendum was held in Guinea on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across the French Union on whether to adopt the new French Constitution. If the territory voted to accept the new constitution, it would then have four months to decide whether to
- Preserve the status of overseas territory.
- Become a state of the French Community.
- Become an overseas department.
Presidential elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 24 April 2016. In a vote initially scheduled for November but brought forward by seven months, incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo retained his office with 93.7 percent of the vote.
Guinea has had four constitutions. The latest constitution was approved by referendum on 19 April 2010 and formally adopted on 7 May. However, it was later dissolved on 5 September 2021, following the 2021 Guinean coup.
Equatorial Guinea–Spain relations refers to the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the Kingdom of Spain. Both nations are members of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations.
Parliamentary elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 16 December 1973. The new constitution approved in a referendum the same year provided for a 60-seat People's National Assembly. The United National Workers' Party (PUNT) was the sole legal party at the time, as the 1973 constitution had made the country a one-party state. The PUNT presented a single list of 60 candidates for the 60 seats, which was approved by voters.
The Popular Idea of Equatorial Guinea was a nationalist political group created at the end of the 1950s with the goal of establishing independence in Equatorial Guinea. The IPGE is considered to be the first formal Equatoguinean political party. The IPGE was founded by a group of exiles living in Gabon and Cameroon, with their official headquarters in Ambam. Early party leaders included Clemente Ateba, José Perea Epota, Antonio Eqoro, Jaime Nseng, and Enrique Nvó, who was credited for starting the IPGE during his time in exile in Ambam. Nvo's radical political ideas and his rise to power in sections of northern Rio Muni concerned Spanish authorities, who allegedly paid contract killers to assassinate him in 1959.
A constitutional referendum was held in Guinea on 22 March 2020, alongside parliamentary elections. The new constitution would reset presidential term limits, allowing president Alpha Condé to be elected for a third term, among other changes.
The Constitution of Equatorial Guinea of 1968, was promulgated with a view to the independence of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea on October 12, 1968. It is the first Constitution promulgated in Equatorial Guinea, in addition to being a text that enshrines liberal democracy, popular sovereignty, freedom of religion and the right of self-determination, when in Spain it is still the regime of Francisco Franco was in force.
The 1982 Constitution of Equatorial Guinea was the country's third constitution. Following the 1979 military coup that removed Francisco Macías Nguema from the presidency, a popular referendum obtained 95.8% of votes in favor of the new Constitution in August 1982. The Constitution, which the United Nations helped draft, added provisions for human rights, outlined a new free-market economy for the country, and nominally restored national elections.
