DJIBOUTI CITY — Djibouti’s long-serving president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, will run for a sixth term in next year’s election after lawmakers removed a constitutional age limit that barred his candidacy, political sources told AFP.
Dileita Mohamed Dileita, speaker of the National Assembly, said Guelleh “has agreed to be a candidate,” following a congress of the ruling People’s Rally for Progress (RPP). Another participant at the meeting confirmed the decision but asked not to be named. The presidency has yet to issue a formal announcement.
The 77-year-old leader, in power since 1999, is widely seen as the favorite. He won re-election in 2021 with 97% of the vote, and his Union for the Presidential Majority controls parliament. Djibouti, a tiny but strategically vital country at the mouth of the Red Sea, hosts U.S., French, Chinese, Japanese and Italian military bases and operates a key transshipment port on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Guelleh’s expected run follows last week’s parliamentary vote to scrap the 75-year age ceiling for presidential candidates. A 2010 constitutional change had already removed the two-term limit, clearing the way for successive re-elections. Rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), have criticized Djibouti’s polls as neither free nor fair, while Reporters Without Borders ranks the nation near the bottom of its World Press Freedom Index, citing near-total state control of media.
Guelleh, who succeeded independence leader Hassan Gouled Aptidon after serving as his chief of staff for 22 years, hinted at another bid in a May interview with The Africa Report, saying he would not “embark on an irresponsible adventure” that could divide the country. He also brushed off speculation about his health, quipping he “probably” needed to lose some weight but was otherwise fine.
With roughly one million people and an outsized geopolitical footprint, Djibouti’s stability remains closely watched by global powers reliant on secure shipping lanes. Opposition figures, many sidelined or in exile, argue that rule-changing maneuvers entrench one-party dominance, while supporters credit Guelleh with maintaining security and attracting investment. An official campaign timetable and candidate list are expected in the coming months.
