Convergence for Social Democracy
Encyclopedia
Convergence for Social Democracy is the only major opposition party in Equatorial Guinea
.
The CPDS is headed by a President and a Secretary-General, who are currently Santiago Obama Ndong and Plácido Micó Abogo
, respectively. The Secretary-General is defined as the leader of the party, while the President is assigned the role of a moderator.
After operating clandestinely and publishing its newspaper La Verdad ("The Truth") in the early 1990s, the CPDS applied for legal recognition in November 1992 and was given legal recognition in February 1993. The CPDS attributed this recognition to international pressure.
In December 1994, the CPDS held its Constitutive Congress in Bata
. The Congress chose Plácido Micó Abogo as Secretary-General at the head of an Executive Commission. The party held its Second National Congress in Bata in February 2001; Plácido Micó Abogo was again chosen as Secretary-General. The Third National Congress, held in Bata in February 2005, again chose Plácido Micó Abogo as Secretary-General and elected a National Executive Commission.
Plácido Micó Abogo was the only CPDS candidate to win a seat in the 1999 legislative election
. The party's candidate in the December 2002 presidential election
was Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé
, who withdrew from the election along with other opposition candidates due to alleged fraud and intimidation but remained on the ballot and won 2.2% of the vote; President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
won 97.1%.
In the April 2004 parliamentary election
, the party won two seats in the 100-member Chamber of People's Representatives
, with CPDS candidates Plácido Micó Abogo and Bacalé winning seats from Malabo
. In the May 2008 parliamentary election
, it won one out of 100 seats; this seat was won by Plácido Micó Abogo.
Although the Convergence is a legally recognized party, its members are regularly detained and/or tortured by police. The CPDS acquired a radio station in August 2008 and began broadcasting from it in September. The police raided the CPDS headquarters on September 13, 2008, searching for the party's radio transmitter, although the police reportedly failed to find the transmitter and only seized electoral campaign material.
The CPDS is a full member of the Socialist International
.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
.
The CPDS is headed by a President and a Secretary-General, who are currently Santiago Obama Ndong and Plácido Micó Abogo
Plácido Micó Abogo
Plácido Micó Abogo is an Equatoguinean politician. He has been the Secretary-General of the Convergence for Social Democracy , an opposition political party in Equatorial Guinea, since 1994....
, respectively. The Secretary-General is defined as the leader of the party, while the President is assigned the role of a moderator.
After operating clandestinely and publishing its newspaper La Verdad ("The Truth") in the early 1990s, the CPDS applied for legal recognition in November 1992 and was given legal recognition in February 1993. The CPDS attributed this recognition to international pressure.
In December 1994, the CPDS held its Constitutive Congress in Bata
Bata, Equatorial Guinea
Bata is a port city in the Litoral Province of Equatorial Guinea. With a 2005 estimated population of 173,046, it is the largest city in Equatorial Guinea. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Río Muni....
. The Congress chose Plácido Micó Abogo as Secretary-General at the head of an Executive Commission. The party held its Second National Congress in Bata in February 2001; Plácido Micó Abogo was again chosen as Secretary-General. The Third National Congress, held in Bata in February 2005, again chose Plácido Micó Abogo as Secretary-General and elected a National Executive Commission.
Plácido Micó Abogo was the only CPDS candidate to win a seat in the 1999 legislative election
Equatorial Guinean legislative election, 1999
Legislative elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 7 March 1999. They were won by the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, which took 75 of the 80 seats in the Chamber of People's Representatives.-Results:...
. The party's candidate in the December 2002 presidential election
Equatorial Guinean presidential election, 2002
A presidential election was held in Equatorial Guinea on 15 December 2002. Incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo easily won another term; the opposition boycotted the election.-Boycotts:...
was Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé
Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé
Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé Obiang is an Equato-Guinean politician. He is the Secretary of International Relations and Cooperation of the Convergence for Social Democracy ....
, who withdrew from the election along with other opposition candidates due to alleged fraud and intimidation but remained on the ballot and won 2.2% of the vote; President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is an Equatoguinean politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990s...
of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo as the country's sole legal political organization on 11 October 1987...
won 97.1%.
In the April 2004 parliamentary election
Equatorial Guinean legislative election, 2004
Legislative elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 25 April 2004. They were won by the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, which took 68 of the 100 seats in the Chamber of People's Representatives....
, the party won two seats in the 100-member Chamber of People's Representatives
Chamber of People's Representatives
The unicameral House of People's Representatives of Equatorial Guinea is the country's legislative body....
, with CPDS candidates Plácido Micó Abogo and Bacalé winning seats from Malabo
Malabo
Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island on the rim of a sunken volcano....
. In the May 2008 parliamentary election
Equatorial Guinean legislative election, 2008
An early legislative election was held in Equatorial Guinea on 4 May 2008, at the same time as local elections. The 100 seats in parliament, along with 230 local councillor seats, were to be elected....
, it won one out of 100 seats; this seat was won by Plácido Micó Abogo.
Although the Convergence is a legally recognized party, its members are regularly detained and/or tortured by police. The CPDS acquired a radio station in August 2008 and began broadcasting from it in September. The police raided the CPDS headquarters on September 13, 2008, searching for the party's radio transmitter, although the police reportedly failed to find the transmitter and only seized electoral campaign material.
The CPDS is a full member of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
.