Djibouti President Guelleh wins sixth straight term in office
Djibouti (AX) — President Ismail Omar Guelleh has secured a sixth straight term in office after sweeping Friday’s presidential election with 97.81% of the vote, according to official results released by state media.
Saturday April 11, 2026
Djibouti (AX) — President Ismail Omar Guelleh has secured a sixth straight term in office after sweeping Friday’s presidential election with 97.81% of the vote, according to official results released by state media.
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His lone opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar of the opposition Unified Democratic Centre (CDU), won 2.19% of ballots. Authorities said turnout reached 80.4% in the vote, in a country of about one million people with roughly 256,000 registered voters.
Shortly after early results were announced, Guelleh, 78, posted “Reelected” on the social media platform X.
Guelleh has ruled Djibouti since 1999, when he took over from his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon. The country eliminated presidential term limits in 2010, and lawmakers went further in 2024 by scrapping the age ceiling for the presidency, clearing the way for Guelleh to pursue another five-year mandate.
The result came as little surprise. Guelleh’s campaign had the run of the political stage, with large rallies and campaign messages visible throughout the capital. By contrast, Samatar’s CDU has no seats in parliament, and AFP reported that his events drew sparse crowds.
Guelleh’s previous election win in 2021 came with 98% of the vote. Two of Djibouti’s leading opposition parties have boycotted elections since 2016, following the removal of term limits in 2010.
Djibouti sits on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a narrow and strategically vital waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its location has made it a key foothold in the Horn of Africa and a host to several foreign military bases.