<<Print>>

Citizens of Equatorial Guinea are heading to the polls in a vote expected to hand the incumbent president, Africa's longest serving leader, another seven-year term in office.

The country's opposition leaders and international civil society groups have already dismissed Sunday's vote as "not credible"

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo faces six mostly unknown opponents, with most of the opposition boycotting the poll.

Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for nearly 37 years after overthrowing his uncle in a coup, is accused of presiding over one of the world's most corrupt and repressive governments.

Critics accuse the 73-year-old of failing to distribute the country's oil wealth to the population.

According to the UN 2014 Human Development Report, the country has the highest per capita gross domestic product of Any African country - about $37,000. But it ranks 144 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index that measures social and economic development.

As a result, Equatorial Guinea has by far the world’s largest gap of all countries between its per capita wealth and its human development score.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Bata, said there has been some improvements in the country under Obiang but many people living in the country are still "poor, frustrated and unemployed".

"Many people in urban areas still live in slums. Opposition leaders say much of the nations oil wealth goes to the president and his family," she said.

"They also accuse some in the international community of ignoring alleged human rights abuses because of oil interests."

Equatorial Guinea is the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the last election in 2009, Obiang won 97 percent of the vote.

His Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea regularly wins parliamentary votes with a similar majority, always falling barely short of 100 percent.

'We live in a police state'

Opposition parties say campaigning has been difficult ahead of Sunday's vote.

"We are not free here. There is no freedom of speech," UCD party leader Bonifacio Nguema told Al Jazeera.

"Some opposition members have been beaten up and arrested. We live in a police state."

Amnesty International says torture and arbitrary detention of government critics have been routine practices in the country under Obiang's rule.

The government denies allegations made by the opposition and international rights groups about human rights abuses and corruption.

Instead, Obiang's supporters say that the president has boosted Equatorial Guinea's economy and brought peace and security to the country.

Energy Minister Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima says political stability is essential for the country and the incumbent president is the person to provide it for the next seven years.

"We must continue to develop and transform the country," he said. "We need to modernise, grow democratically in a climate of humility so we have peace and economic stability."

Election results will start to come in after the polls close at 9pm local time and final results are expected on Monday.