Convergence for Social Democracy (Equatorial Guinea)

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox political party

Convergence for Social Democracy (Template:Langx, CPDS) is the opposition party in Equatorial Guinea. It was the only opposition party with parliamentary representation during 2013-2017.

StructureEdit

The CPDS is headed by a president and a secretary-general, who are currently Santiago Obama Ndong and Andres Esono Ondo, respectively. The Secretary-General is defined as the leader of the party, while the President is assigned the role of a moderator.<ref name=CPDS>Page at CPDS website Template:In lang.</ref>

HistoryEdit

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 party was led and founded by Secundino Oyono Edú-Aguong. The CPDS attributed this recognition to international pressure.<ref name=CPDS/>

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.<ref name=CPDS/>

Plácido Micó Abogo was the only CPDS candidate to win a seat in the 1999 legislative election.<ref name=CPDS/> 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<ref name="BBC">"'Landslide' in Equatorial Guinea", BBC News, 16 December 2002.</ref><ref>Charles Cobb Jr., "Equatorial Guinea: Obiang Sure to Win As Opposition Quits Poll", allAfrica.com, 16 December 2002.</ref> 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.<ref name=CPDS/> In the May 2008 parliamentary election, it won one out of 100 seats;<ref>"Guinée équatoriale: le parti présidentiel grand vainqueur des législatives" Template:Webarchive, AFP, 9 May 2008.</ref><ref name=Worse>"'Equatorial Guinea worse than Zim'", AFP (IOL), 11 July 2008.</ref> this seat was won by Plácido Micó Abogo.<ref name=Worse/>

Although the Convergence is a legally recognized party, its members are regularly detained and/or tortured by police.Template:Citation needed The CPDS acquired a radio station in August 2008 and began broadcasting from it in September. The police raided the CPDS headquarters on 13 September 2008, searching for the party's radio transmitter, although the police reportedly failed to find the transmitter and only seized electoral campaign material.<ref>"Police raid Equatorial Guinea opposition headquarters: official" Template:Webarchive, AFP, 13 September 2008.</ref>

The CPDS is a full member of the Socialist International.<ref>List of Socialist International member parties, Socialist International website.</ref>

Electoral historyEdit

Presidential electionsEdit

Election Party candidate Votes % Result
2002 Celestino Bonifacio Bacalé 4,570 2.17% Lost Template:Nay
2009 Plácido Micó Abogo 9,700 3.57% Lost Template:Nay
2016 Did not contest
2022 Andrés Esono Ondó 9,684 2.31% Lost Template:Nay

Chamber of Deputies electionsEdit

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Result
1999 Plácido Micó Abogo 9,735 5.30% Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Increase 3rd Template:No2
2004 12,202 6.03% Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Steady 3rd Template:No2
2008 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Steady 3rd Template:No2
2013 Andres Esono Ondo Template:Composition bar Template:Steady Template:Increase 2nd Template:No2
2017Template:Efn 2.23% Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Decrease 3rd Template:No
2022 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:No

Template:Notelist

Senate electionsEdit

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Result
2013 Andres Esono Ondo Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 1 Template:Increase 2nd Template:No2
2017Template:Efn 2.23% Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 1 Template:Decrease 3rd Template:No
2022 Template:Composition bar Template:Steady 0 Template:No

Template:Notelist

NotesEdit

15 members of the Senate are appointed by the President

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Equatorial Guinean political parties