Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang invested for a sixth term, Morocco’s King represented at investiture ceremony

Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who holds the world record for longevity in power for a living head of state other than a monarch, was sworn in Thursday in Malabo for a sixth seven-year term.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco was represented at the investiture ceremony by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami.

Talbi Alami was received by the Equato-Guinean President, who stressed that the two countries are linked by historic, close and multidimensional relations of friendship.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives also met with government officials of Equatorial Guinea, including with the Vice President of the Republic, and members of the government, namely the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Minister of Justice. He also met with the presidents of the parliament of this country.

The investiture ceremony was also an opportunity for Talbi Alami to hold meetings with many country leaders and heads of governments and legislative institutions, in particular the President of Congo-Brazzaville, Burundi, Central Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, the Nigerian Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Comoros Parliament, the Advisor to the Egyptian President and the heads of the delegations of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

 

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was re-elected with 94.9% of the vote on November 20, at the age of 80, to head this small oil-rich central African country, which he has ruled for more than 43 years.

The inauguration ceremony took place in Malabo in front of many guests including his counterparts from Congo, Burundi, Sao Tome and Principe, Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic.

“I am not the president of a tribal or ethnic group or a particular belief, I was elected by all the people of Equatorial Guinea (…), I am and will always be the president of all Equatoguineans”, he launched from a large podium on the seafront, after his oath before the judges of the Constitutional Court and parliamentarians of the National Assembly and Senate, in which his party won all the seats during the election of November 20.

Then the head of state and his guests watched the parade of more than 5,000 military and police, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Defense.