The world’s longest-serving president has appointed his son as Vice President!
Until this year, Teodoro
Obiang Nguema had never won less than 97 percent of the vote in an
election. Perhaps the immense international scorn he has faced in recent
years caused him
to
loosen his grip a bit, because he won only 93.7 percent when reelected
to his sixth term as leader of Equatorial Guinea this year. He is the
world’s longest-serving president, having ruled for almost 37 years.
According to Washington Post,
he has further consolidated his power by promoting his son, Teodoro
“Teodorín” Obiang Mangue, from “second vice president” to simply vice
president.
Power
has been in the family for Equatorial Guinea’s entire existence as an
independent country. The current president toppled his uncle in a
violent coup in 1979, before sentencing
him to
death by firing squad. Since then, he has consolidated his grip over the
country’s industries and is accused of diverting tax money into his
personal accounts.
The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.
In
2014, U.S. authorities forced Teodorín to relinquish his $30 million
home in Malibu, Calif.; a Gulfstream jet; a Ferrari; and dozens of
pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia worth more than $1 million, all
bought with money funneled through offshore bank accounts. Court
documents reviewed by the Justice Department showed that Teodorín
received an official salary of less than
$100,000 but amassed more than $300 million in assets through corruption and money laundering.
“Through relentless embezzlement and extortion, Vice President Nguema Obiang
shamelessly
looted his government and shook down businesses in his country to
support his lavish lifestyle, while many of his fellow citizens lived in
extreme poverty,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said at
the time.
The
problem of dynastic authoritarianism is shared by Equatorial Guinea’s
slightly larger neighbor Gabon, which also relies heavily on the oil and
gas industry. Omar Bongo ruled Gabon from independence until 2009 — 42
years — and his son Ali is now president.
