Abstract

The emergence of hereditary republican dynasties is part of a regional trend, raising concerns about the decline in democracy, government accountability, nepotism, and grand corruption. Second generation dynasts now rule in Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, and Togo. Often treated as exceptional aberrations, or theorized under other conceptual tools, this article examines Equatorial Guinea as a case study of ‘dynastic republicanism.’ After a brief theoretical discussion classifying this regime type among other forms of dynastic rule, and after making an historical comparison to Napoléon’s attempt at establishing a hereditary dynasty in the wake of the French First Republic, this article will employ qualitative biographical method to explore the Mongomo clan of Equatorial Guinea in order to show how a kin group can establish itself in absolute power in a modern republic, then corruptly promote what is otherwise anachronistic hereditary rule. The conclusion will enumerate comparative advantages of dynastic style, and make predictions concerning the future of hereditary succession in Equatorial Guinea.

Key words: dynastic republic, Nguema clan, petroleum.