Francisco Macías Nguema was the first person to hold the office, taking effect on 12 October 1968.

The incumbent is Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, having taken office on 3 August 1979.

As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Equatorial Guinea.

[2] C Constitutional referendum The government announced on 26 November 2022 that Obiang had won the election by an overwhelming margin, as expected.

It stated that provisional results showed him with 97% of the vote on a turnout of 98%.