Djibouti Holds Presidential Election as Guelleh Seeks Sixth Term

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Voting is underway in Djibouti, where long-serving leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is contesting for another term in office.

The election follows constitutional changes approved by the country’s legislature last year, which removed presidential term limits and paved the way for Guelleh, 78, to extend his rule.

He has been in power since 1999 in the Horn of Africa nation of about one million people.

Guelleh, regarded as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, is widely expected to win the election. In the previous vote held in 2021, he secured 99 percent of the total ballots cast.

He faces a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party. Analysts, however, say the race lacks strong opposition.

Opposition groups have frequently boycotted elections, citing concerns over political restrictions, while the government maintains that stability has been preserved in a region often affected by unrest.

Guelleh came to power after succeeding his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, continuing a political legacy that has shaped the country’s leadership for decades.