Djibouti’s Veteran Leader Secures Sixth Term with Over 97% of Vote
President Ismail Omar Guelleh has been re-elected for a sixth consecutive five-year term, capturing nearly 98% of the ballot. With term and age limits previously removed, the 78-year-old leader continues his tenure over the strategic Horn of Africa nation, which hosts key foreign military bases.
Djibouti’s long-serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh has secured another five years in office after official results from Friday’s election gave him 97.81 percent of the votes cast, according to figures released by state media.
The outcome, announced on Saturday, extends Mr Guelleh’s rule to nearly three decades. He first took office in 1999, succeeding his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon. The sole challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar of the opposition Unified Democratic Centre (CDU), garnered just 2.19 per cent.
Electoral authorities put voter turnout at 80.4 per cent, with roughly 256,000 registered voters in a country of about one million people. Shortly after early tallies emerged, the 78-year-old president posted a simple “Reelected” on the social media platform X.
The result was widely anticipated. Mr Guelleh’s campaign dominated public spaces, with large rallies and extensive messaging across the capital. In contrast, Mr Samatar’s CDU holds no parliamentary seats, and his events drew limited crowds.
Djibouti abolished presidential term limits in 2010, and lawmakers removed the age ceiling for candidates in 2024. The president’s previous victory in 2021 saw him take 98 per cent of the vote. Two main opposition parties have boycotted every election since 2016, following the scrapping of term limits.
Djibouti sits along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint for global shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its strategic position has made it home to several foreign military bases, underscoring its geopolitical weight in the Horn of Africa.
