Ignacio Milam Tang

Ignacio Milam Tang (born 20 June 1940^[1]) is an Equatoguinean politician who has been Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea since July 2008. He is a member of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE).^[2]

Political career

Tang is a member of the Fang ethnic group.^[2] He was Minister of Justice and Worship from 1996 to 1998, then Minister of Youth and Sports from 1998 to 1999. In 1999,^[1] he was elected as the Second Vice-President of the Chamber of People's Representatives,^[3] and he remained in that post until being appointed as Deputy Prime Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Coordination^[1] in the government of Prime Minister Cándido Muatetema Rivas on February 26, 2001.^[3] After two years as Deputy Prime Minister,^[1] he was instead appointed as Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency on February 11, 2003.^[4] It was announced on January 10, 2006, that he had been appointed as Equatorial Guinea's Ambassador to Spain;^[5] he served in that position until July 2008.^[2]

Tang was appointed as Prime Minister by President Teodoro Obiang on July 8, 2008, replacing Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea.^[2] Obiang appointed the new government headed by Tang on July 14. About half of the members of the previous government were retained in Tang's government,^[6] despite Obiang's scathing criticism of the previous government.^[7] Significantly, Tang was the first member of the Fang ethnic group to be appointed as Prime Minister since Obiang became President in 1979.^[8] At the time of his appointment, Tang was considered a supporter of close relations with Spain and was not believed to be a powerful figure in the PDGE regime.^[9]

Following Obiang's re-election in the November 2009 presidential election, Tang and his government resigned on 12 January 2010, as they were legally required to do. Obiang reappointed Tang as Prime Minister later on the same day.^[10]

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