Djibouti’s parliament has voted unanimously to abolish the presidential age limit, a move that could allow long-serving leader Ismail Omar Guelleh to seek a sixth term in office.
Guelleh, who has ruled the small Horn of Africa nation since 1999, was previously barred from running again due to a constitutional provision preventing candidates over the age of 75 from contesting the presidency. Now 77, the president would have been ineligible for the next election scheduled for April 2026.
However, all 65 lawmakers present voted on Sunday to remove the age restriction, according to parliamentary speaker Dileita Mohamed Dileita. The president can either approve the amendment directly or call for a national referendum. If he endorses the decision, parliament will confirm it in a second vote expected on November 2.
A Controversial but Expected Move
In an interview with The Africa Report in May, Guelleh hinted at the possibility of another term, saying, “All I can tell you is that I love my country too much to embark on an irresponsible adventure and be the cause of divisions.”
Political analysts say Sunday’s vote came as little surprise. “There are protests on social media, but I fear the opposition will not have space to express itself in Djibouti,” said Sonia Le Gouriellec, a Horn of Africa specialist at the Catholic University of Lille.
Human rights advocates have voiced concern that the constitutional revision could cement Guelleh’s hold on power. Omar Ali Ewado, president of the Djibouti League for Human Rights (LDDH), urged authorities to ensure a “democratic and peaceful transition,” warning that the change “prepares a life presidency for Ismail Omar Guelleh.”
Government Defends Decision
Defending the amendment, Speaker Dileita told AFP that the reform was intended to ensure “the stability of a small country in a troubled region, the Horn of Africa, with Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.” He claimed that “more than 80 percent of the population supports this decision.”
Djibouti, home to roughly one million people, is strategically located at the entrance of the Red Sea across from Yemen. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which a significant portion of global maritime trade passes, enhances the country’s geopolitical importance. Djibouti also hosts military bases from the United States, France, and China.
Guelleh’s Two-Decade Rule
Guelleh succeeded Hassan Gouled Aptidon—the country’s first president and leader of its independence movement—in 1999 after serving as his chief of staff for 22 years. He has since been re-elected multiple times, most recently in April 2021, when he secured more than 97 percent of the vote.
His party, the Union for the Presidential Majority, holds a dominant position in parliament, and the government has faced frequent criticism for its restrictions on freedom of expression and the press.
If the constitutional amendment is finalized, Guelleh will be eligible to extend his leadership well beyond a quarter century, reinforcing his status as one of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state.
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