Background:
Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of
Spanish rule. President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO has ruled the tiny
country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands
and one of the smallest countries on the African continent, since he
seized power in a coup in 1979. Although nominally a constitutional
democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as
well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being
flawed.