Voters in Djibouti headed to the polls today, despite opposition parties boycotting the election, as they prepare to elect a new parliament and potentially determine the future of the country’s long-time ruler President Ismael Omar Guelleh.
The election, which is being held amid speculation over who could succeed the 74-year-old leader who has ruled with an iron fist since 1999, is set to be a landslide victory for Guelleh’s Union for Presidential Majority (UMP) party, the only one of two political parties taking part.
Souad Elmi Siyad, a 64-year-old retiree, declared, “I consistently cast my ballot for the same ruling party in every election.”
Kadar Abdi Ibrahim, Secretary General of the only opposition party in the running, has declared that there is no meaningful discussion in this legislative election, with Aden Omar Abdillahi, head of a political research institute, adding that it is the dullest election of the last 30 years.
Many opposition parties have boycotted the election, which they consider a sham, and President Ismael Omar Guelleh’s ruling Union for Presidential Majority is set to win with no real competition.
Despite its diminutive size, Djibouti enjoys a strategically crucial position at the mouth of the Red Sea, using it to woo trade investors and foreign military powers
