Djibouti's Veteran Ruler Re-elected For Fifth Consecutive Term - Interior Minister
Djibouti's veteran ruler, Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected as president for the fifth term in a row winning over 98 percent of the vote
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2021) Djibouti's veteran ruler, Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected as president for the fifth term in a row winning over 98 percent of the vote.
"President Ismail Omar Guelleh obtained 167,535 votes, which is 98.58 percent," Interior Minister Moumin Ahmed Cheick said to public broadcaster TRD.
The 73-year-old Guelleh, who has been in power since 1999, ran against businessman and political novice Zakaria Ismail Farah.
Farah was the only opposition that Guelleh had faced and ended up with under 5,000 votes according to provisional results.
Guelleh's fifth term is predicted to be his last since according to a 2010 constitution reform an age limit of 75 years is in place limiting the current leader from further entering into elections.�
Under his rule, Djibouti heavily invested in ports and logistics infrastructure and in 2018 launched Africa's biggest free-trade zone financed by China. At the same time, around 20 percent of the country's population lives in extreme poverty and 26 percent are unemployed.