The candidate whom Mrs Arroyo backs publicly, Gibo Teodoro, lies a distant fourth.

ECONOMIST: Anyone but Arroyo

Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich former Spanish colony, has been ruled by President Teodoro Obiang since he seized power from his uncle in 1979.

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The average rainfall for the month of September is 391 mm (15.4 inches), said Gilberto Teodoro, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

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His successor - Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo - took over in a coup and has shown little tolerance for opposition during the three decades of his rule.

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Mr Teodoro resigned as chairman of the party late last month, ostensibly because he wants to concentrate on his campaign, though in reality, perhaps, because he, too, wants to distance himself from Mrs Arroyo.

ECONOMIST: Anyone but Arroyo

Mr Teodoro's main hope is that Mrs Arroyo's governing LAKAS party remains the most efficient machine in the country, containing a legion of local officials who still enjoy the president's patronage and could use their clout to get voters out for him in their districts.

ECONOMIST: Anyone but Arroyo