Presidential elections were held in

Djibouti Djibouti, 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 Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

on 8 April 2011. Incumbent president

Ismail Omar Guelleh In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (; ; ; ) is the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137. Traditionally, he is seen as the ancestor of the Arabs. Within Islam, Ishm ...

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

Mohamed Warsama Ragueh Mohamed Warsama Ragueh () is a Djibouti Djibouti, 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 Sea and the Gulf ...

, 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 parliament of the Republic of Djibouti. Established under Title V of the 1992 Constitution, it consists of 65 members who are elected by direct and secret univ ...

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 () 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 Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

, 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 agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, 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 and referendum articles with incomplete results