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Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh has secured a sixth consecutive term in office after winning a decisive victory in the country’s presidential election, according to official results released on Saturday.
According to the results, Guelleh won 97.8 per cent of the vote in Friday’s poll, far ahead of his only challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, who received 2.2 per cent.
Guelleh, 78, has ruled Djibouti for 27 years, consolidating authority in the strategically located Horn of Africa nation, which hosts military bases for several global powers, including the United States, China, France, Japan and Italy.
Samatar, a little-known opposition figure, leads the Unified Democratic Centre, a party with no parliamentary representation.
Guelleh, who voted alongside his wife in the capital, said earlier that he hoped the process would end in what he described as a clear mandate.
“By the grace of God, we have arrived here, and we hope that this will end in victory,” Guelleh told reporters.
Turnout delays at some polling stations led to extended voting hours, though the outcome was widely expected.
Guelleh first came to power in 1999 after serving as chief of staff to former president Hassan Gouled Aptidon, and has since maintained a dominant political position, including an unopposed re-election in 2005.
Guelleh won the last election in 2021, boycotted by most of the opposition, with more than 97 percent of the vote. He had announced he would step down this year but a constitutional amendment in November removed the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.
While critics argue the political environment limits genuine competition, supporters describe his leadership as a source of stability in a volatile region. Opposition participation in this year’s vote remained minimal.
Djibouti’s economy relies heavily on its strategic position along the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key global shipping route, with port revenues forming a major part of national income.
Despite economic challenges including high youth unemployment, Guelleh retains strong political control, with analysts noting the absence of a broadly accepted successor as a key factor in his continued dominance.
