On 3 August 1979, President Francisco Macías Nguema was overthrown in a military coup d'état led by a group of officers who attended the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, among them Eulogio Oyó Riqueza,[1] Vice President Bonifacio Nguema Esono Nchama, fallen from grace and the main responsible for the establishment of Cuban influence in Equatorial Guinea, Navy Lieutenant and commander of the National Navy Florencio Mayé Elá, Army Captain Salvador Elá Nseng, Popular Militia Lieutenant Braulio Nsue Ona, Lieutenant Felix Mba Ondo Nchama, military chief of Río Muni fallen into disgrace, governor of Banco Popular de Equatorial Guinea Damián Ondo Maye Avang,[2] all of them led by nephew of Macías, Lieutenant General Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who had been warden of the Black Beach prison on the island of Bioko.
The islands of the country (collectively part of the Insular Region) were renamed as Bioko (formerly known as Macías Nguema Biyogo) and Annobón (formerly known as Pagalú).
The new regime found that the coffers of the state were empty and the population was barely a third of what was at the time of independence of the country in 1968, due to repression and exile.
On 23 August, the first ministerial cabinet of the council was constituted, composed of eleven members:[6] President Obiang, Florencio Mayé Elá as First Vice President of the Government in charge of Foreign Affairs, Salvador Elá Nseng as Second Vice President in charge of Finances and Commerce, Félix Mbá Nchama (Interior), Pablo Qbama Eyang (Sanitation), Policarpo Monduy Mbá (Justice), Pedro Nsué Qbama (Industry and Mines), Paulino Obiang Enama (Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry), Tarsicio Mané Abeso (Culture and Public Works), Pedro Edú (Transport and Urbanism) and Melchor Ndong (Labor).
[10][4] In August 1982, a new Constitution was passed in a referendum, replacing the council with a formally civilian government and the Chamber of People's Representatives.