Djibouti’s long-serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh will run for a sixth term in elections scheduled for April 2026, his party announced on November 8.
The 77-year-old leader, who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation since 1999, was formally nominated by the ruling Popular Rally for Progress (RPP) during a party congress held in the capital. The party said in a statement that Guelleh accepted the nomination ‘with gratitude’, vowing to continue promoting ‘unity, stability, and development amid global challenges’.
Long tenure and political dominance
Guelleh’s re-election bid comes just days after Djibouti’s Parliament voted to remove the constitutional age limit of 75 years for presidential candidates, paving the way for his continued leadership.
He previously secured a landslide victory in the 2021 election, winning 97 percent of the vote. His political coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority, also holds a commanding majority in parliament.
Guelleh, who succeeded his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon, has maintained a tight grip on Djiboutian politics for over two decades, often credited for the country’s stability but also criticised by opposition groups for restricting political freedoms.
Constitutional changes over time
This is not the first time Djibouti’s Constitution has been revised to extend Guelleh’s stay in power. In 2010, lawmakers amended the charter to abolish the two-term limit, effectively allowing him to run indefinitely.
The recent removal of the age cap further strengthens his position ahead of the 2026 vote, which is expected to see little competition from the fragmented opposition.
Djibouti, strategically located at the mouth of the Red Sea, hosts several foreign military bases and plays a vital role in regional maritime trade and security. Under Guelleh, the nation has positioned itself as a key logistics hub while facing growing scrutiny over governance and democratic reform.
Guelleh’s latest bid is widely seen as an effort to consolidate his political legacy as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
