Djibouti lifts presidential age limit, paving way for sixth Guelleh term

The constitutional age cap for presidential candidates has been removed by Djibouti’s parliament, allowing Ismail Omar Guelleh to run for reelection even though he is only 77 years old.

The move would allow the veteran leader to run in April 2026 elections was approved by all 65 of the present lawmakers on Sunday. A second parliamentary vote on November 2 or a national referendum are required to make the choice.

Guelleh, who served as the country’s founding president in 1999, is credited with leading the Horn of Africa nation.

Guelleh himself introduced the constitutional ban in 2010 along with changes that reduced the term limits for the president from six to five.

Dileita Mohamed Dileita, the speaker of the National Assembly, argued that a change was necessary to maintain stability in a troubled region. Although Al Jazeera cannot verify this claim, he claimed that the measure’s public support exceeded 80%.

Guelleh indicated in a key interview with the magazine Jeune Afrique earlier this year that he had no desire to give up power. He said, “I love my country too much to take on irresponsible adventure and cause divisions,” and that is all I can say.

The move was seen as a step toward permanent rule, according to rights advocates. Omar Ali Ewado, the head of the Djiboutian League for Human Rights, said that the revision “prepared a presidency for life,” instead urging a peaceful democratic transition.

International partners should reconsider their priorities, according to Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development leader Daher Ahmed Farah. The Djiboutian people own these interests, he said, not just a single man. “The country is in a strategic position and hosts many bases.

After opposition groups boycotted the election, Guelleh won his fifth term in 2021 with more than 98 percent of the vote. The United States applauded the outcome at the time, but it urged the government to “more effectively strengthen its democratic institutions and processes in accordance with the recommendations made by the observer missions.”

After Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades, and Isaias Afwerki, who has been in power for 27 years, Guelleh is East Africa’s third-longest-serving leader.

Djibouti has a large amount of geopolitical influence despite having only a population of one million. Along with installations run by France, China, Japan, and Italy, the nation also has the only permanent US military base in Africa. It is crucial for international shipping between Asia and Europe because of its position overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.