Presidential elections were held in Djibouti on 8 April 2011. Incumbent president Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected with 81% of the vote,[1][2] defeating Mohamed Warsama Ragueh, an attorney and former judge who received 19% of the vote.
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Djibouti's opposition coalitions boycotted the elections, saying they would not be free and fair,[3] leaving only President Guelleh and Ragueh, who had served as President of Djibouti's Constitutional Council in 2005.[4] Ragueh complained about irregularities in the voting.[5]
Background
editIn April 2010, the National Assembly of Djibouti amended the Constitution to allow Guelleh to stand for a third term. Presidents had been limited to two terms.[6] Coinciding with the wider Arab Spring, protesters began calling for President Guelleh's ousting in February 2011.[7] On at least two occasions the government detained opposition leaders and imprisoned many protesters.[8][9]
Another potential candidate, businessman Abdourahman Boreh, who was living in self-imposed exile in London, did not participate because Guelleh was on the ballot.[10][11]
Conduct
editDemocracy International (DI), an organization funded by USAID, 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.[12][13] The African Union and the U.S. and French embassies sent some observers to monitor the elections, as did other regional groups.
Results
edit| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ismaïl Omar Guelleh | People's Rally for Progress | 89,942 | 80.63 | |
| Mohamed Warsama Ragueh | Independent | 21,605 | 19.37 | |
| Total | 111,547 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: IFES | ||||
Aftermath
editGuelleh was sworn in for his third term on 8 May 2011.[14]
References
edit- ^ Djibouti IFES
- ^ Djibouti Djibouti validates presidential election Archived 2013-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Middle East Online, 13 April 2011
- ^ Djibouti president set for a hattrick at the polls Ahram Online, 5 April 2011
- ^ Djibouti opposition boycotts election Afrol News, 11 March 2011
- ^ Djiboutian President Guelleh Wins Vote; Human Rights Watch Doubts Fairness Bloomberg News, 9 April 2011
- ^ Djibouti lawmakers remove term limits IOL News, 11 April 2010
- ^ Djiboutians rally to oust president Al Jazeera, 18 February 2011
- ^ Djibouti Forces Arrest Opposition Leaders, Scuppering Protests Bloomberg News, 11 March 2011
- ^ Djibouti: Allow Peaceful Protests Human Rights Watch, 4 April 2011
- ^ Djibouti opposition boycotts presidential election Reuters, 11 March 2011
- ^ A Reform Programme for Djibouti Abdourahman Boreh
- ^ Election observers quit Djibouti Financial Times, 15 March 2011
- ^ Djibouti evicts US vote group ahead of election The San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 March 2011
- ^ Special envoy of Chinese president attends Djiboutian president's sworn in ceremony Xinhua, 9 May 2011