Djibouti’s long-serving president, Ismael Omar Guelleh, has secured another term in office after winning 97.8 percent of the vote, according to state broadcaster Radio Television Djibouti. The result grants him a sixth mandate and extends a rule that has now spanned 27 years in the strategically important East African nation. <\/em><\/p>\n 78-year-old Guelleh, marked the moment of his re-election on Friday evening by posting an image of himself on X bearing the word “R\u00c9\u00c9LU” – French for “re-elected” – underlining the decisive nature of his victory.<\/p>\n The small nation of under one million people occupies a pivotal position on the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea. Its location has made it a key military and logistical hub, hosting bases from the US, China, France, Italy and Japan.<\/p>\n \n Since 2023, it has also served as a refuge for commercial vessels damaged in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants, further highlighting its growing geopolitical importance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guelleh’s win had been widely anticipated<\/a>. He first came to power in 1999, succeeding his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, and has since maintained a firm grip on the country’s political institutions, with his party dominating public life.<\/p>\n To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n Accept Manage my choices Djibouti election unfolds at strategic shipping chokepoint<\/a><\/p>\n Opposition boycott and limited contest<\/p>\n Friday’s election saw Guelleh face just one challenger – Mohamed Farah Samatar, representing a minor party with no parliamentary presence. The absence of stronger competition was notable, with two of the main opposition parties continuing a boycott they have maintained since 2016, citing concerns over the impartiality<\/a> of electoral authorities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Official figures reported voter turnout at 80.4 percent. The result closely mirrors the 2021 election, in which Guelleh also secured more than 97 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n In the run-up to the election, parliament voted to remove the 75-year age limit<\/a> for presidential candidates and eliminated the requirement for a referendum to approve a new constitution. These changes effectively cleared the path for Guelleh to stand again, reinforcing expectations of his continued leadership.<\/p>\n
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