Djibouti: Incumbent Omar Guelleh reelected for fourth term

The incumbent President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, has been relected after Friday’s polls which were boycotted by the opposition, AFP reports.

#BREAKING Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh re-elected: PM

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 8, 2016

Guelleh would start a fourth term by his reelection, extending his 17-year rule in the small but strategic Red Sea nation.

Since Djibouti attained Independence from France in 1977, Guelleh is only the second president the country has had.

The opposition expressed displeasure that the president rescinded his earlier pledge not to seek a fourth term and some parties chose to boycott the election.

Opposition figures say global political establishments have continually neglected the country’s shaky democratic process because of its strategic location on the Red Sea.

Soirée électorale en famille en compagnie de mon directeur de campagne.#Djibouti #IOG2016 pic.twitter.com/TVWbsCsqlQ

— Ismail Omar Guelleh (@IsmailOguelleh) April 8, 2016