Presidential elections were held in

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

on 8 April 2011. Incumbent president

Ismail Omar Guelleh Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

was re-elected with 81% of the vote, He defeating

Mohamed Warsama Ragueh Mohamed Warsama Ragueh ( so, Maxamed Warsame Raage) is a Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to th ...

, an attorney and former judge who received 19% of the vote. Djibouti's opposition coalitions boycotted the elections, saying they would not be free and fair, leaving only President Guelleh and Ragueh, who had served as President of Djibouti's Constitutional Council in 2005. Ragueh complained about irregularities in the voting.

Background

In April 2010, the

National Assembly of Djibouti The National Assembly, formerly known as the Chamber of Deputies, is the unicameral legislative branch of the government of Djibouti. Overview It consists of 65 members – 30 Somali (21 Issa) and 30 Afar – elected to serve five-year terms ...

amended the Constitution to allow Guelleh to stand for a third term. Presidents had been limited to two terms. Coinciding with the wider

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

, protesters began calling for President Guelleh's ousting in February 2011. On at least two occasions the government detained opposition leaders and imprisoned many protesters. Another potential candidate, businessman Abdourahman Boreh, who was living in self-imposed exile in London, did not participate because Guelleh was on the ballot.

Conduct

Democracy International (DI), an organization funded by

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

, had been in the country since November planning to monitor the elections, but was told to leave by the government on 21 March 2011 after officials questioned its impartiality.Djibouti evicts US vote group ahead of election
The San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 March 2011 The African Union and the U.S. and French embassies sent some observers to monitor the elections, as did other regional groups.

Results

Aftermath

Guelleh was sworn in for his third term on 8 May 2011.
Xinhua, 9 May 2011

References

{{Djiboutian elections Presidential elections in Djibouti

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

Djibouti Presidential election Election and referendum articles with incomplete results