30 Oct 2022 | 10:47 AM UTC
Equatorial Guinea: Authorities announce closure of land borders effective Oct. 31, ahead of Nov. 20 general elections /update 1
Authorities in Equatorial Guinea announce closure of land borders effective Oct. 31, ahead of Nov. 20 general elections.
Event
Authorities have announced the closure of Equatorial Guinea's land borders effective Oct. 31, ahead of the Nov. 20 general elections. Officials stated they will reopen land borders after the vote, but did not provide an exact date.
Political-related gatherings are likely ahead of the Presidential, Chamber of Deputies, Senate, and Municipal elections. The electoral campaign will officially run Nov. 3-18. Likely gathering locations include Malabo on Bioko Island and Bata on the mainland.
A heightened security presence is likely in the vicinity of all election-related events and near polling stations on election day. Opposition political gatherings are likely to be dispersed with security forces. Disruptions to transport, businesses, and other services are possible on and around the polling day.
Context
Authorities announced Sept. 20 that elections would be brought forward to Nov. 20. The decree cited financial reasons due to the negative global economic context (war in Ukraine, fallout of COVID-19 crisis) and related savings by combining all elections. The ruling PDGE party (Partido Democratico de Guinea Ecuatorial) is highly likely to remain in power and retain an overwhelming majority of deputies and senators.
Incumbent president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo will run for another term. He came to power in a 1979 coup and has now been ruling the country for 43 years. He was elected in 1982 and 1989, running as the sole candidate, for seven-year terms before multi-party rule was introduced. Despite this, he was reelected in 1996, 2002, 2009, and 2016 with more than 90 percent of the vote each time. The elections were condemned as fraudulent by the opposition and international observers.
Advice
Monitor local political developments. Avoid all political gatherings. Obey all instructions issued by the local authorities. If violence erupts, immediately depart the affected area. Reconfirm transport arrangements immediately before and during the election.
