Djibouti Removes Presidential Age Limit, Allowing Guelleh to Seek Sixth Term

Djibouti Removes Presidential Age Limit, Allowing Guelleh to Seek Sixth Term
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Djibouti’s parliament has unanimously voted to remove the presidential age limit, paving the way for President Ismail Omar Guelleh to run for a sixth term, Arab News reported. The constitutional amendment eliminates the previous restriction preventing candidates over 75 from contesting the presidency.

Guelleh, 77, has governed the Horn of Africa nation since 1999 and is now eligible to run in the next election scheduled for April 2026. The decision, confirmed by parliament speaker Dileita Mohamed Dileita, followed an initial approval last week that was later ratified by the president and returned to lawmakers for final endorsement.

Supporters of the amendment said it was aimed at ensuring political stability in a volatile region that includes Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Djibouti, a small but strategically vital country of about one million people, hosts several foreign military bases and lies along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping route. Guelleh last won re-election in 2021 with 97 percent of the vote, while his ruling party, the Union for the Presidential Majority, maintains a dominant hold over parliament.