Djibouti holds presidential election with longtime ruler favored for a sixth term

Voters in Djibouti have cast ballots for president with longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh expected to secure a sixth term. Lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year. Guelleh, 78, has ruled for over two decades. The 2021 election showed him winning nearly 99% of the vote. He faces a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, in a race analysts say offers little genuine competition. Critics describe the system as tightly controlled. Djibouti hosts multiple foreign military bases, underscoring its strategic importance. Revenues from these arrangements and port services for Ethiopia underpin the economy.