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Djibouti holds presidential election with longtime ruler favored for a sixth term
Guelleh faces a single challenger as rights groups cite repression and opposition boycotts in a race expected to extend his 27-year rule.
- Voters in Djibouti cast ballots on Friday, with 78-year-old President Ismail Omar Guelleh expected to secure a sixth term after lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year.
- Since 1999, Guelleh has ruled the nation of about 1 million, transforming it into an international military hub strategically located on the Bab al-Mandab strait.
- Critics described the vote as a "masquerade" with a "foregone conclusion," while Guelleh faces only one challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, in a race opposition groups frequently boycott.
- Mohamed Husein Gaas of the Raad Peace Research Institute said external actors prioritize stability given Djibouti's critical role in Red Sea security and global trade routes.
- Rising debt and geopolitical competition pose long-term risks, while the economy's reliance on port services for Ethiopia and military base revenues remains vulnerable to global shipping instability.
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Djibouti Vote: Guelleh poised to extend 27-year rule
Djibouti’s leader Ismail Omar Guelleh held his final campaign rally on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s presidential election. Facing a divided and largely silenced opposition, Guelleh is expected to extend his 27-year rule of the strategically located Horn of Africa nation.
·Pointe-Noire, Congo (the)
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Total News Sources23
Leaning Left9Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 25%
R 19%
Factuality
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