* Rights groups say government not respecting own laws
* Decree imposes harsh rules on international observers
* No independent body to oversee elections, rights groups say
By Bate Felix
DAKAR, May 7 (Reuters) - Equatorial Guinea's elections this month are unlikely to be free as the organising body is controlled by the government and the work of observers will be severely restricted, three human rights organisations said on Tuesday.
Voters in the oil-rich Central African state are due to vote on May 26 to choose members of parliament, senators and local councillors in a vote expected to tighten President Teodoro Nguema Obiang's 34-year grip on power.
But, Amnesty International, EG Justice and Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement that the government was not respecting its own laws guaranteeing freedom of expression, assembly and association.
"President Obiang often says that Africans should demand a voice in global affairs but he denies one to the people of Equatorial Guinea," Tutu Alicante, executive director at EG Justice, said in the statement.
A spokesperson for the government was not immediately available to comment.
The groups said the country has no independent body to oversee the vote or deal with complaints related to it.
"The National Election Commission is controlled by the ruling party and is headed by the interior minister, a prominent member of the governing party," Alicante said.
The groups said a decree issued in March imposed strict rules on international observers, including the need to follow a government-issued programme, speaking to media only with permission and refraining from making disparaging comments.
While oil wealth has improved the infrastructure in the Central African nation of 700,000, critics say corruption remains rampant, progress on social programmes has been slow and the government has zero tolerance for dissent.
There is just one opposition member in the 100-seat parliament and critics have warned that Obiang is seeking to line up his son Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, widely known as "Teodorin", as his successor. (Editing by David Lewis and Louise Ireland)
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