The elections of September 1968: analysis of a decisive process in the independence of Equatorial Guinea

Abstract

In the context of the final stretch of the Spanish decolonization of Equatorial Guinea, the article analyzes, based on the available primary sources, the fundamental aspects of the electoral process that gave way to independence, that is, the precedent of the constitutional referendum of 11 of August 1968, the general elections of September 22 and the second round of the presidential elections on the 29th. Focused on the competition of the political forces, it studies the different electoral strategies and search for support, the electoral legislation, the degree of cleanliness of the process and the attitudes of the electorate, concluding in an explanatory assessment of the final triumph of Francisco Macías Nguema.