National-level elections in Djibouti are held for the President and the unicameral National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale).
Djibouti is a one party dominant state with the People's Rally for Progress (RPP) in power. Opposition parties are allowed since the 1992 referendum, but have been represented in parliament only since the 2013 elections. Freedom House considers the recent elections in Djibouti to be "not free". Djibouti also uses the Red Sea as a bases for all of its economic and political decisions for current day and in the future.
Current President, Ismail Omar Guelleh has been in office since May 8, 1999.[1] Guelleh was first elected as President in 1999 as the handpicked successor to his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled Djibouti since independence in 1977. Djibouti has a population of approximately one million with only 176,878 registered to vote.[2] Djibouti has 11 political parties and has re- elections every 6 years since the 1990s when the country's civil war ended.
In the April 2021 elections, Guelleh was re-elected president for his fifth term.[3]
Electoral system
editPresident
editThe President is directly elected for a five-year term using a two-round system.[4] Until 2010, the president was elected for two six-year terms. The constitution was then changed, which scrapped term limits and reduced the term to five years.[5] Candidates may not be older than 75 years old.[6] The President appoints the Prime Minister.[7] Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed was appointed in April 2013.[8]
National Assembly
editThe National Assembly, formerly known as the Chamber of Deputies, has 65 seats, of which 52 are elected by plurality voting multi-member constituencies, and 13 elected by proportional representation.[9]
Until a change in the electoral law in November 2012, all 65 seats were elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies.[9]
Mohamed Ali Houmed[10] is the Djibouti Ambassador for Ethiopia and Rwanda.
References
edit- ^ "Djibouti's strongman president faces strongest cross-examination of his career | African Arguments". 28 September 2015.
- ^ "IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Djibouti". www.electionguide.org. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ "Veteran ruler Guelleh re-elected Djibouti leader for fifth term". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
- ^ Election Profile IFES
- ^ "Djibouti's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2010" (PDF). Constitute. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ MPs in Djibouti scrap term limits BBC News, 19 April 2010
- ^ "Elections in Djibouti". africanelections.tripod.com. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ "The World Factbook - Government: Djibouti". cia.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
- ^ a b Election Profile IFES
- ^ "MAHE COMMUNICATION - AMBASSADE DJIBOUTIENNE". www.ambassadedjibouti-eth.net. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
External links
edit- National Electoral Commission of Djibouti (in French)
- Djibouti Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Djibouti African Elections Database