By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh has won a sixth term in office, securing 97.8% of the vote, which keeps him at the helm in the Horn of Africa nation, preliminary official results have indicated.
Guelleh’s only challenger Mohamed Farah Samatar got only 2.19% of the vote, in a poll boycotted by most of the opposition.
The 78-year-old has been in power since 27 years. He reneged on his promise to step down following a constitutional amendment in November removing the maximum age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.
Guelleh’s campaign focused on the fact that he had maintained stability in Djibouti at a time when other regional states, and the Middle East, had been hit by conflict.
Lying on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Djibouti serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
The US, China, France, Italy and Japan have military bases in the country.
Guelleh is only Djibouti’s second President since it gained its independence from France in 1977.
The leaders of the main opposition parties, including Dahir Ahmed Farah have boycotted elections since 2016, saying there was no free political activity.
Guelleh celebrated his victory at his home, saying it was a victory for the entire nation.
Officials said that more than 80% of registered voters cast their ballots in Friday’s election.
The sole challenger, who was the flag-bearer of a small party with no parliamentary seats, is yet to comment on the electoral outcome.
The results were released by the interior ministry but will still be validated by judges on the constitutional council before Guelleh can be sworn in for another five-year term.
He won the 2021 election by a similar margin.
In 2010, Djibouti’s parliament scrapped term limits, and shortened presidential mandates from six to five years.
It also set 75 as the age limit for candidates, before changing the constitution in November so that Guelleh could run for office again.
