Official Results Indicate that Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, The President of Djibouti, Has been Reelected for a Sixth Term
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, the president of Djibouti, was reelected for a sixth term after receiving 97.81 percent of the vote in Friday’s election, according to official data. For more than 20 years, Guelleh, 78, has governed the tiny nation of around a million people in the Horn of Africa. He had promised that this would be his final term. Rather, he changed the constitution so that he could continue to run after the age of 75.
The vote was peaceful, according to election officials. Supporters rejoiced and congratulated him on Saturday at the presidential palace. In a race that many claim presented no real opposition, Guelleh faced only one opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party. Election boycotts are common among opposition groups, who point to limitations on political liberties.
In 1999, Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, continuing a family-run system that has influenced the nation’s politics for many years. Since then, he has maintained an iron grip over the nation in the Horn of Africa. He presents himself as a guarantee of stability and has transformed the strategically important country into a global military center.
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