Djibouti's National Assembly voted unanimously on Sunday, October 26, to remove the constitutional age limit for the presidential office. This amendment removes the major obstacle that prevented the current head of state, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (77 years old), from running for a sixth term in the next election, scheduled for April 2026. The previous age limit of 75 would have made his candidacy ineligible.

The vote, according to former Prime Minister and current Speaker of the National Assembly, Dileita Mohamed Dileita, was validated by all 65 parliamentarians present. This step paves the way for a new candidacy for President Guelleh, in power since 1999. A parliamentary source indicates that the fundamental law could be definitively amended either by a referendum or by a second vote by the Assembly scheduled for November 2.

Reactions and Political Context

While the head of state, nicknamed "IOG", had recently maintained the suspense over his candidacy in May, stating during an interview with Jeune Afrique that he loved "his country too much to embark on an irresponsible adventure and be the cause of divisions", this vote is "not a surprise" for observers.

Dileita Mohamed Dileita justified the constitutional amendment as necessary to ensure "the country's stability" in the troubled Horn of Africa. He also argued that "more than 80% of the population supports this."

However, Sonia le Gouriellec, a specialist on the Horn of Africa, highlighted the existence of "protests on social networks," while noting that the opposition lacks space for expression in Djibouti, a country where press freedoms are repressed.

Politically, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, who succeeded Hassan Gouled Aptidon in 1999 after 22 years as chief of staff, was re-elected in April 2021 with over 97% of the vote. His party, the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), holds a dominant position in parliament. However, in September, a close adviser to the president, Alexis Mohamed, resigned, denouncing the country's "democratic decline" and "client-based management."

Djibouti, one of the least populated countries in Africa (around 1 million inhabitants), occupies a crucial geostrategic position at the exit of the Red Sea, in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a vital crossing point for global trade between Asia and the West.