One day after polling stations closed across the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, sitting President Ismael Omar Guelleh has announced a landslide win in the country’s 2026 presidential election, positioning him to begin a sixth consecutive term in office.
The 78-year-old leader, who first rose to the nation’s top executive post in 1999, made the victory declaration public via a short post on his official X account on Saturday, April 11. The post simply read “Re-elected,” matching early official returns that show Guelleh securing more than 97% of the popular vote. In total, more than 256,000 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots across the country on April 10, when voting got underway at polling centers including the City Hall station in Djibouti City’s Ras-Dika district, where Guelleh cast his own ballot.
Guelleh ran against just one opponent in the race: Mohamed Farah Samatar, a one-time member of Djibouti’s ruling party. The incumbent candidate’s ability to appear on the ballot came after a significant change to the nation’s constitution last year. Previously, Djibouti’s constitution barred candidates over the age of 75 from running for the presidency, which would have disqualified Guelleh from seeking a sixth term. A constitutional amendment approved in 2025 removed the age limit, clearing the path for Guelleh’s 2026 campaign.