The vice-minister of education in Equatorial Guinea, Manuela Roka Botey, has been appointed prime minister by president Teodoro Obiang Nguema, marking the first time a woman has held the position in the West African nation.
Late on Tuesday, state television proclaimed Botey’s new position.
With 95% of the vote, Obiang, 80, was re-elected for a sixth term in office in November, solidifying his position as the world’s longest-serving head of state.
The United States said at the time it had “serious doubts about the credibility of the announced results” in the election and called on authorities to work with all stakeholders to address allegations of voter fraud.
The country of around 1.5 million people has had only two presidents since independence from Spain in 1968.
Obiang ousted his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, in a coup in August 1979. (Reuters/NAN)