United National Workers' Party

The United National Workers' Party (Spanish: Partido Único Nacional de los Trabajadores, PUNT) was a political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was the only political party in the country from 1970 to 1979, during the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema.

United National Workers' Party Partido Único Nacional de los Trabajadores
Abbreviation	PUNT
Leader	Francisco Macías Nguema
Secretary-General	Buenaventura Ochaga Ngomo (1970–1976)
Presidium	Central Committee (1970–1977)
Founder	Francisco Macías Nguema
Founded	July 7, 1970 (1970-07-07)
Banned	August 25, 1979 (1979-08-25)
Preceded by	Idea Popular de Guinea Ecuatorial
Headquarters	Malabo, Bioko Norte
Youth wing	Youth in March with Macías
Women's wing	Feminine Section
Ideology	African nationalism Socialism[1] Personalism[2] Anti-imperialism[3] Anti-colonialism[3] Anti-racism[3] Pan-Africanism[4] Anti-intellectualism[5] Totalitarianism[6][7]
Colors	Red
Politics of Equatorial Guinea Political parties Elections

History

The PUNT was created and led by Francisco Macías Nguema, former leader of the Idea Popular de Guinea Ecuatorial (IPGE) and, since the independence from Spain, President of Equatorial Guinea (confirmed by the 1968 general election). The party was officially founded on 7 July 1970[8][9][10] on the structure of the United National Party (Spanish: Partido Único Nacional, PUN), existing from January to February of that same year. Macías added "of the Workers" to the name of the party in July 1971, taking inspiration from the Workers' Party of Korea.[11]

The PUN was formed in January 1970, after Macías issued a decree suppressing all existing political parties in the country. Previously, in December 1968, Macías had already announced that there would soon be a single party to "unify ideas".[9]

Macías assumed the post of president for life of the PUNT,[12] whose highest body was the Central Committee.[2][13] The Central Committee consisted of Macías as president, his ministers, civil governors of the provinces, government delegates and high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces.[2] The other structures of the PUNT consisted of base, district and provincial committees.[2] In 1977, the Central Committee was disbanded and Macías assumed absolute power in the PUNT.[2] The Permanent Secretary-General of the PUNT was Buenaventura Ochaga Ngomo (simultaneously the Minister of Popular Education, Art and Traditional Culture), until his fall from grace and execution in 1976.[2]

The PUNT's role as the only legal party was enshrined in the 1973 Constitution. The statutes of the PUNT were elaborated, according to what is said, by an advisor of Macías Antonio García-Trevijano.[14][15] According to the National Alliance for Democratic Restoration (ANRD), it was García-Trevijano who suggested Macías to add "the Workers" to the name of the party.[16] Other authors point out that Macías was inspired to make this change was Marien Ngouabi, then-President of the People's Republic of the Congo.[4]

In the 1973 parliamentary election, the PUNT won all of the seats in the legislature, and Macías was reelected unopposed in the presidential election.[2]

The youth wing of the party, called "Youth in March with Macías" (formerly known as "Popular Revolutionary Militia") played an important role, both propagandist and repressive one. The party also had the women's wing, called "Feminine Section", based on the Sección Femenina of the FET y de las JONS in Francoist Spain.[4] It had the function of organizing events and activities, and the women who belonged it had to be informants for the authorities about the political activity of their families.[4] The President of Guinea Ahmed Sékou Touré sent two advisers to the country to help organize this body.[4]

From the very moment of its creation, the PUNT acquired great social significance. The party membership card was required for everything: academic fees, work contracts, etc.[9][17] It was also mandatory to wear the official PUNT uniform, with an effigy of President Macías placed at the height of the heart, to show fidelity and love to the dictator.[3] The party membership card was as important as the personal identity document,[3] and could be requested by the authorities at any time and place.[2] In addition the party had the power to make decisions in legal matters, such as judging, condemning and absolving.[2]

"I, Guinean Militant of the PUNT, swear by God and on my honor to fight, until death if necessary, for the territorial integrity of Equatorial Guinea, against colonialism, neocolonialism, imperialism, technological colonialism, separatism, misery and coups..."

— Party card of the PUNT.[14]

According to Article 4 of the Statute of the PUNT, all citizens of Equatorial Guinea became members of the PUNT from the age of seven.[8][9]

The party was banned by the Supreme Military Council following the 1979 coup d'état, led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, nephew of Macías.[14]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1973	Francisco Macías Nguema	Unknown	Unknown	Elected Y

Chamber of Deputies elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
1973	Francisco Macías Nguema	Unknown	Unknown	60 / 60	60	1st	Sole legal party

References

1. "Guinea Ecuatorial, de la prosperidad a la ruina". Hoja del Lunes (in Spanish). 13 August 1979. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
2. Nze Nfumu, Agustín (2006). Macias, Verdugo O Victima (in Spanish). ISBN 9781411683242. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
3. Otabela, Joseph-Désiré (2009). Entre Estética Y Compromiso. la Obra de Donato Ndongo-bidyogo (in Spanish). ISBN 9788436258257. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
4. Nerín, Gustau; Federal University for Latin American Integration (2016). FRANCISCO MACÍAS: NUEVO ESTADO, NUEVO RITUAL (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
5. http://www.egjustice.org/post/equatorial-guinea
6. http://www.egjustice.org/post/equatorial-guinea
7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/08/07/equatorial-guineas-president-said-to-be-retired-not-ousted/b21f82be-7401-4b7c-b6ea-1774dc0639e5/
8. "Sólo es legal el partido único" (in Spanish). El País. 20 October 1976. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
9. Xavier Lacosta. "Cronología de Guinea Ecuatorial: 1950 / 1979 De la independencia al juicio contra Macías" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
10. "Guinea Ecuatorial: Tristes 49 años de Independencia" (in Spanish). Radio Macuto. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
11. Vicente Orts (4 October 2014). "Francisco Macias Nguema, el espejo de Teodoro Obiang". Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
12. "Guinea Ecuatorial: el olvido español en África" (in Spanish). 16 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
13. Negrín-Fajardo, Olegario; National University of Distance Education (20 February 2017). Una singular "educación cívica" para Guinea Ecuatorial: las sentencias doctrinales de la dictadura de Francisco Macías Nguema (1968–1979) (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
14. Guinea Ecuatorial: de colonia a sultanato, Paula García Ascanio, 2010
15. "Millones y corrupción a "go-go"" (in Spanish). Diario ABC. 30 October 1976. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
16. "Guinea: Tirón de la manta" (in Spanish). Diario ABC. 30 October 1976. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
17. Muakuku Rondo Igambo, Fernanado (2006). Conflictos etnicos y gobernabilidad / Ethnic conflicts and governance: Guinea Ecuatorial. Editorial Cumio. p. 80. ISBN 9788496357389. Retrieved 4 November 2018.