| Document Name: | Constitution of Equatorial Guinea of 1982 |
| Jurisdiction: | Republic of Equatorial Guinea |
| Date Ratified: | 15 August 1982 |
| Date Effective: | 15 September 1982 |
| System: | Unitary Republic (de jure), One-party state (de facto) |
| Date Repealed: | 16 November 1991 |
The 1982 Constitution of Equatorial Guinea was the country's third constitution. Following the 1979 military coup that removed Francisco Macías Nguema from the presidency, a popular referendum obtained 95.8% of votes in favor of the new Constitution in August 1982.[1] The Constitution, which the United Nations helped draft, added provisions for human rights, outlined a new free-market economy for the country, and nominally restored national elections.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the leader of the 1979 coup and nephew of Macías, was effectively and officially established as president with the constitutional referendum, which bestowed upon him his first seven-year term in that role, despite leading the country since the coup.[2] [3]
Despite the appearance of democracy and respect for human rights in the Constitution, it also granted the president unilateral powers over such things as cabinet positions and the right to rule by decree, all of which has led to Obiang becoming the longest ruling non-royal leader in the world.[4] [5]
The Constitution was replaced with the current document in 1991 through another popular referendum, which legalized political parties beyond Obiang's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea.