Cándido Muatetema Rivas

Who is Cándido Muatetema Rivas?

Cándido Muatetema Rivas is a political figure in Equatorial Guinea who was Prime Minister from 2001 to 2004.

Rivas was born in Batete, a village in southern Fernando Po near Luba. He was General Treasurer of the State from November 1991 to August 1993 and served in the government as Secretary of State for Youth and Sports from December 1993 to January 1996. He was also a co-founder of the youth section of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea and was the youth section's General Coordinator from 1993 to 1995. He later became Deputy Secretary-General of the PDGE.

From June 1996 to February 2001, Rivas was Second Secretary of the Chamber of People's Representatives. He was also a member of CEMAC's Inter-Parliamentary Commission and Vice-President of its Economic Affairs Sub-Commission from April 2000 to February 2001.

Rivas was appointed as Prime Minister by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema on February 26, 2001, succeeding Ángel Serafín Seriche Dougan. His government was sworn in on February 27, and President Obiang emphasized on this occasion that it needed to show unity and "cohesion".

Rivas and his government resigned on June 11, 2004, and Obiang appointed Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó to succeed him on June 14. The structure of his government was a cabinet with 50 ministerial posts.