This article was originally published the 3rd of October of 2018 at Apolitical. The author is Navarra Center for International Development Junior Researcher David Soler Crespo. Here is a partial reproduction of the article. You can read the full article here.

Teodoro Obiang has ruled over the tiny, oil-rich nation of Equatorial Guinea since the successful coup d’etat he leaded in 1979. He was re-elected president of his party for an indefinite term last year, paving the way for him to run again in the 2022 elections. He’s the longest-serving president in Africa — and first in the line of succession is his son.

Obiang is not a unique case. Seven of the ten current longest-serving presidents are from African nations: Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Uganda, Chad, Eritrea, Sudan and Congo. African leaders want to die in power.

Equatorial Guinea has a two-term limit for the presidency, but it was introduced only in 2011 and wasn’t retrospective. So Obiang was allowed to run for office in 2016, when he won his first seven-year term. He could now rule until 2030.

You can read the full article here.