rom Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Constitution: new constitution 17 November 1991

Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA
MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979)
head of government: Prime Minister Serafin Seriche DOUGAN (since April
1996); Vice Prime Minister Francisco Javier Ndongo MBENGONO (since
April 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote to a seven-year term;
election last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February 2003)
election results : President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected without
opposition; percent of popular vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Peoples Representatives or
Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members are directly
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 21 November 1993 (next to be held November 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE
68, CSD 6, UDS 5, CLD 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:
ruling party: Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Brig.
Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]
opposition parties: Convergence for Social Democracy or CSD [Santiago
Obama Ndong, president]; Democratic Social Union or UDS [Camelo MODU,
general secretary]; Liberal Democratic Convention or CLD [Alfonso Nsue
MIFUMU, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Santos PASCUAL]; National
Democratic Union or UDENA [Jose MECHEBA Ikaka, president]; Party of
the Social Democratic Coalition or PCSD [Buenaventura Moswi M'Asumu,
general coordinater]; Party of Progress or PP [Severo MOTO Nsa,
president]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Casiano Masi
Edu]; Popular Union or UP [Juan BITUI, president]; Party for Progress
of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo Moto NSA, president]; Progressive
Democratic Alliance or ADP [Antonio-Ebang Mbele Abang, president];
Social Democratic and Popular Convergence or CSDP [Secundino Oyono
Agueng Ada, general secretary]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Benjamin-Gabriel Balingha Balinga Alene, general secretary];
Socialist Party of Equatorial Guinea or PSGE [Tomas MICHEBE Fernandez,
general secretary]

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CEEAC, ECA, FAO,