World's longest-serving president starts 6th term in Equatorial Guinea

DOUALA, Cameroon

Equatorial Guinea's long-serving President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was sworn-in on Thursday for a sixth term.

"As long as I am president and with our resources, the people's desires and needs for well-being will be fully realized," Obiang, 80, vowed at the event in the capital Malabo, marking the beginning of his next seven-year term at the country's helm.

The ceremony began after a military parade attended by top officials and a host of foreign African leaders.

Obiang promised the full implementation of outstanding projects, as well as to eradicate corruption and maintain the Central African country's unity.

He vouched for its peace and stability, as well as the sustainable development that he said the nation was experiencing.

"The statistics show that the people have always supported my candidacy," said Obiang, the world's longest-serving president currently in the 43rd year of his tenure.

Obiang has been in power since 1979, when toppled his predecessor Francisco Macias Nguema in a coup.

Released days after the latest presidential elections in the country held on Nov. 20, official results showed that Obiang won an overwhelming victory of nearly 95% in the country with a population of about 2 million.

According to the National Electoral Council, his Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) won all 588 seats in municipal councils, as well as all 55 seats in the Senate, and all 100 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Despite being the third-largest oil exporter in sub-Saharan Africa, the vast majority of Equatorial Guinea's population currently living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

The country has a reputation as one of the most closed and authoritarian countries in the world, with its international relations marred by corruption, according to Amnesty International.

The PDGE said that Obiang's inauguration was "another historic and unforgettable day" in Equatorial Guinea, confident that he would "wisely guide" Equatorial Guineans in years to come.

It was another disappointment for the opposition, which said during the election that the people "need a message of hope" different from what has been conveyed by Obiang's rule.