Opposition rejects Equatorial Guinea vote

All opposition candidates have pulled out of Sunday's presidential election in the Central African state of Equatorial Guinea.

With votes being counted, the four candidates have published a statement rejecting the vote and seeking a new election.

The candidate of the main opposition party, Celestino Bonifacio Bacale, of the Convergence for Social Democracy, said the election was fraudulent because people were not allowed to cast their votes in secret.

Another candidate, Bonaventura Mouswi, said that in many polling stations ballot papers of the current president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, were the only ones available.

President Obiang has been in power for 23 years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service