Djibouti’s President Ismael Omar Guelleh has won re-election with 97.8% of the vote.
Reuters quoted the state-owned Radio Television Djibouti as saying on Saturday, that handing him a sixth term extends his 27-year rule over the small but strategically located East African country.
Guelleh posted an image of himself with the French word “RÉÉLU” on X, which translates to “re-elected”.
The country of less than 1 million people sits on the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea and hosts U.S., Chinese, French, Italian and Japanese military bases. Since 2023, several commercial ships damaged in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants have docked in the country.
Victory for the 78-year-old Guelleh, who was handpicked in 1999 to succeed his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon and whose party dominates national institutions, was never in doubt.
Last October, parliament voted to remove the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates and also scrapped a referendum previously required to approve a new constitution.
