Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the West African country for 43 years, launched his bid for a sixth term on Thursday.

Mr Obiang, 80, 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.

The general elections are scheduled for 20 November.

The president told a rally that his party had chosen him to run "because I am the symbol of peace that reigns in Equatorial Guinea", the AFP news agency reports.

AFP adds that the country has 425,000 registered voters out of a population of around 1.4 million.

Source: BBC