A constitutional referendum was held in
Equatorial Guinea on 13 November 2011. It allowed the incumbent
President
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Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president of any country ev ...
(ruling since 1979) to run for at least two more seven-year terms as well as establish the post of
Vice-President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
, widely expected to be given to his son
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (born 25 June 1968, nicknamed Teodorín) is the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, in office since 2016. He is a son of Teodoro Obiang, the authoritarian leader of Equatorial Guinea, by his first wife, Constancia ...
in preparation of dynastic succession.
Background
The constitutional changes included imposing term limits on the presidency, allowing two seven-year terms. They also abolished age restrictions, allowing the then 69-year old President Obiang to run when he turned 75.
The changes were hailed by the government as a democratic advance, with the addition of term limits highlighted by state media. They would also allow the president to create the post of Vice President, suspected to be given to Obiang's son, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo,
then under investigation in the United States and France for money laundering.
Conduct
Many denounced the referendum as fake, with many widespread cases of voter fraud and intimidation of groups trying to monitor the votes. They also pointed to the fact that votes were counted by those close to the government.
Opposition leader
claimed that the proposal was not even seen the official text of the constitutional changes. He removed poll watchers after threats of violence, including one of a young supporter who alleged he "was threatened with being tortured by a colonel." Despite these reports, the government claimed the vote had passed peacefully. There was also concern that the provision on term limits would not apply retrospectively, allowing Obiang to run again in 2016,
which he did.
Results
References
{{Equatorial Guinean elections
Equatorial Guinea
Referendums in Equatorial Guinea
Constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these prin ...
Constitutional referendums in Equatorial Guinea