“He has agreed to be a candidate in next year’s presidential election.”
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh will contest for a sixth term in next year’s election following a constitutional amendment that removed the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates, according to VANGUARD reporting.
Guelleh, 77, who has been in power since 1999, confirmed his decision after a congress of the ruling People’s Rally for Progress (RPP). “He has agreed to be a candidate in next year’s presidential election, everything went smoothly,” said National Assembly President Dileita Mohamed Dileita. Another participant told AFP that Guelleh’s candidacy had been accepted, though not yet officially announced.
The amendment, passed less than a week ago, allows Guelleh to extend his long rule in the Horn of Africa nation, which hosts military bases for the U.S., France, China, Japan, and Italy.
Guelleh, who won 97 percent of votes in the 2021 election, has faced criticism from human rights groups. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) described previous polls as “not free.”
In May, Guelleh told Africa Report, “I love my country too much to embark on an irresponsible adventure and be the cause of divisions,” adding, “Otherwise, everything is perfect.”