Djibouti’s long-serving president, Ismail Guelleh, has secured a sixth term in office after winning 97.8% of the vote in Friday’s presidential election, according to official results released on Saturday, April 11.

 

Guelleh defeated his sole challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, who garnered just 2.2% of the vote, based on figures from the interior ministry.

 

According to the results seen by APA on Saturday, Guelleh, the Djiboutian president since 1999, polled 97.8% of the vote.

 

“Re-elected”, the 78-year-old declared in a social media post ahead of the official results, after early results gave him a huge lead.

 

The 78-year-old leader has ruled the small Africa country for 27 years, maintaining a firm grip on power.

 

Under his leadership, Djibouti has capitalised on its strategic location to become a key international military and maritime hub, hosting foreign bases from countries including France, the United States, China, Japan and Italy.