A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. High 59F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Showers early with some clearing overnight. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Updated: April 12, 2026 @ 3:19 am
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh was reelected for a sixth term after official results showed him winning 97.81% of the vote in Friday's election.
Guelleh, 78, has ruled the small Horn of Africa nation of about 1 million for more than two decades. Last year, the country’s lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits.
Election officials said the vote was peaceful. At the presidential palace, supporters on Saturday celebrated and offered congratulations.
Guelleh faced a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former ruling party member, in a race analysts say offered little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms.
Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999, extending a family-led system that has shaped the country’s politics for decades.
Djibouti hosts multiple foreign military bases, including those of the U.S., China, France and Japan, underscoring its strategic importance along a key global shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Revenues from these arrangements, along with port services for neighboring Ethiopia, underpin the economy.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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