Ismail Omar Guelleh may seek re-election in 2026 after parliament votes to remove age limits for presidential candidates.
Published October 26, 2025
Djibouti’s parliament has lifted the constitutional age limit for presidential candidates, paving the way for Ismail Omar Guelleh to seek a sixth term despite being 77 years old.
On Sunday, all 65 MPs present voted in favor of scrapping the 75-year-old age limit, which would allow veteran leaders to run in elections scheduled for April 2026. The decision would require presidential approval followed by either a second parliamentary vote on November 2 or a national referendum.
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Guelleh, popularly known as IOG, has ruled the Horn of Africa country since 1999, when he succeeded the country’s founding president, Hassan Gould Aptidon.
The constitutional barrier was introduced by Guelleh himself in 2010, alongside reforms that abolished presidential term limits and shortened each term from six to five years.
Parliament Speaker Mohamed Direita defended the changes as essential to maintaining stability in the turbulent region. He said public support for the measure was over 80%, but Al Jazeera has not been able to verify this claim.
Earlier this year, in an interview with Jeune Afrik magazine, Guelleh gave a significant hint that he had no plans to relinquish power. “All I can say is that I love my country too much to go on any irresponsible adventure and cause division,” he said.
Rights advocates denounced the move as a step toward permanent rule. Omar Ali Ewad, president of the Djibouti Human Rights Federation, said: “This amendment prepares for a lifetime presidency,” calling instead for a peaceful democratic transition.
Daher Ahmed Farah, leader of the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development, told Al Jazeera that international partners should reconsider their priorities. “Although the country is in a strategic location and has many bases, these benefits do not belong to one person, but to the Djiboutian people,” he said.
Guelleh won a fifth term in 2021 with more than 98% of the vote after rebels boycotted the election. At the time, the United States welcomed the results but encouraged the government to “further strengthen democratic institutions and processes in line with recommendations from observers.”
Guelleh is East Africa’s third-longest-serving leader after Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly 40 years, and Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki, who has been in power for 27 years.
Despite having a small population of 1 million people, Djibouti has great geopolitical influence. The country is home to the only permanent US military base in Africa, along with facilities run by France, China, Japan and Italy. Its location overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait makes it important for global shipping between Asia and Europe.
Djibouti’s strategic value has kept it stable as neighboring countries face deepening crises, including the civil war in Sudan and the breakup of Somalia.
