Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Obiang in 2023
2nd President of Equatorial Guinea
Assumed office
12 October 1982
Prime Minister
See list
Vice President
See list
Preceded by
Chairman of the Supreme Military Council
In office
3 August 1979  12 October 1982
Deputy
See list
Preceded byCouncil established
Succeeded byCouncil dissolved; Himself
(as President)
9th Chairperson of the African Union
In office
31 January 2011  29 January 2012
Preceded byBingu wa Mutharika
Succeeded byThomas Boni Yayi
Personal details
Born (1942-06-05) 5 June 1942
Acoacán, then part of Spanish Guinea
Political partyDemocratic (since 1987)
Other political
affiliations
Spouse
(m. 1968)
Children
Relatives
Alma materColegio Nacional Enrique Nvó Okenve
Military service
Allegiance
Branch/serviceArmed Forces of Equatorial Guinea
Years of service1968–1982
RankMajor general
CommandsChief of General Staff

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Spanish pronunciation: [teoˈðoɾo oˈβjaŋɡ eŋˈɡema embaˈsoɣo]; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician, former military officer and dictator who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since 1982. Previously, he was the Chairman of the Supreme Military Council from 1979 to 1982. As of 2025, he is the longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world, followed by Paul Biya of Cameroon.

After graduating from military school in Zaragoza, Spain, Obiang held multiple positions under the presidency of his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, including director of the notorious Black Beach prison. He ousted Macías in a military coup in 1979 and took control of the country as president and chairman of the Supreme Military Council. After the country's nominal return to civilian rule in 1982, he founded the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) in 1987, which was the country's sole legal party until 1992. He has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990s. Obiang was Chairperson of the African Union from 2011 to 2012.

Obiang is regarded as an authoritarian leader. He has been widely accused of corruption and abuse of power. Under his rule, Equatorial Guinea continues to have one of the worst human rights records in the world. In marked contrast to the trend toward democracy in most of Africa, Equatorial Guinea is currently a dominant-party state, in which Obiang's PDGE holds virtually all governing power in the nation and has held all or almost all seats in the legislature since its creation. The constitution provides Obiang sweeping powers, including the right to rule by decree, effectively making his government a legal dictatorship. He has also placed family members in key government positions.