Djibouti President Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh, 73, has won a fifth term in office, receiving an absolute majority of 98.41% of the vote.
It was widely expected that President Guelleh easily win the election, as opposition candidates have boycotted the race, accusing the government of undermining the independence of the electoral commission.
More than 200,000 people have registered to vote in the five regions of the Republic of Djibouti, which will cast ballots at 530 polling stations across the country, according to the electoral commission. However, it was reported that 55,000 Jibutians just casted their vote.
In a brief statement yesterday, after he casted his ballot, President Guelleh said that the election had taken place peacefully and that he was awaiting the results.
His only challenger, businessman Zakaria Ismail Farah, 57, won 1.59% of the vote. Zakariye, a newcomer to Djiboutian politics, announced his candidacy on social media in January this year.
Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh, locally called IOG, welcomed Mr. Farah’s candidacy and is said to have financially assisted his opponent’s election campaign.
IOG, in a BBC interview last month, lamented the boycott of the opposition elections, confirming experts’ analysis that the President fears that a predicted easy win over a little-known political recruit will strengthen Opposition’s accusation of Djibouti’s one-man rule government.
Guelleh, whose leadership is increasingly contested, has been behind the scenes of power since Djibouti gained independence in 1977 and was elected president in 1999 after persuading former president Hassan Guled Abtidon to hand over the reins of power.
Since that time, he has ruled the country with an iron fist truncating fundamental freedoms, imprisoning opponents and establishing an authoritarian regime under the guise of a democracy in which only his clan and those who swear allegiance to him are rewarded.
The opposition has stopped believing in free and transparent elections since each election is an opportunity for the president to see who is loyal to him and who is hostile to his regime.
Opposition parties have long complained about the concentration of power in IOG’s hands, accused him of limiting their freedom of speech and of being an obstacle to the development of the country.
This might also explain the low participation rate in these polls and the general apathy of the population towards the presidential election.
Now that he had secured an extension of his term, it remains to be seen whether President Guelleh will reach out to the opposition or continue to reign supreme.
