I always wonder why despots and tyrants and authoritarians don’t realize that holding farce elections in which they win more than 90% of the popular vote actually serves to undermine their legitimacy. Granted, they don’t care — not caring what others think is sort of their thing, which explains why they are authoritarians to begin with. Still, does Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo really think he is fooling anyone by claiming victory with almost 97% of the vote in Equatorial Guinea? Even if he did somehow garner that share of votes it might almost have been better for him to have cooked the books the other way, claiming 75% of the total. At least then the election does not come across as a complete farce. Although Obiang claimed in this election that he would surpass the 97.1% that he garnered in 2002, so perhaps this is what qualifies as humility in the annals of corrupt elections. Obiang’s been in office since 1979. He will not leave until death’s final election tally comes with no recount available.
