Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has explained why he is running for a sixth consecutive term in office. According to an AFP report, the 80-year-old told a rally that his party had chosen him to run "because I am the symbol of peace that reigns in Equatorial Guinea." He has ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 43 years, the longest for a serving president. His party launched their presidential campaign on Thursday with the vote expected to take place on November 20. Obiang seized power in 1979 from President Francisco Macias Nguema, who was the leader at independence and whose rule prompted a mass exodus and thousands of deaths. AFP adds that the country has 425,000 registered voters out of a population of around 1.4 million.