Runs for Office After Age Limit Lifted... Sixth Term Virtually Assured
Mixed Reviews: Stability Maintained, But Diversity Lacking
Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has led Djibouti since 1999, will officially run for a sixth term in the presidential election scheduled for next year.
According to AFP on November 8 (local time), President Guelleh accepted the nomination as the presidential candidate for a five-year term at the ruling People's Rally for Progress (RPP) party convention held in the capital of Djibouti.
On October 26, the Djibouti parliament unanimously passed a constitutional amendment removing the age limit for presidential candidates. By abolishing the existing constitution, which prohibited those over 75 from running for president, President Guelleh is now able to seek a sixth term. Djibouti had already removed the three-term limit for presidents through a constitutional amendment in 2010.
Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti, who has declared his candidacy for a sixth term. Photo by Yonhap News
Currently, Djibouti's political landscape is effectively a one-party dominant system centered on the ruling party. The Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), a coalition led by the RPP, holds 58 out of 65 seats in parliament, leading most analysts to believe that President Guelleh is highly likely to secure a sixth term. In the 2021 presidential election, he won a fifth term with more than 97% of the vote.
Since gaining independence in 1977, Djibouti has been governed by only two presidents. The first president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, ruled for 22 years, and his nephew, President Guelleh, has been in power for 25 years. While this long-term rule is credited with maintaining stability, it is also criticized for deepening the lack of political diversity, human rights issues, and poverty, reflecting both positive and negative aspects.
Djibouti is a strategic location bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, hosting military bases for the United States, France, Japan, China, and others. For this reason, the international community recognizes the Guelleh administration's role in maintaining stability, but at the same time, concerns have been raised about the concentration of power and the weakening of democratic processes.
The world's longest-serving leader is Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who has been in power for 45 years. Other notable long-term leaders include Paul Biya of Cameroon (42 years), Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo (40 years), and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (38 years). Vladimir Putin of Russia has also been in power since 1999 when including his combined terms as president and prime minister.
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