Djibouti President Omar Guelleh files candidacy for sixth term
By Kenneth Mwenda, March 10, 2026Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh has formally filed his candidacy to run for a sixth term in the country’s presidential election scheduled for April 10, 2026.
The announcement came from Djibouti’s Interior Ministry, which confirmed that the president’s nomination papers were submitted as part of the official electoral process.
According to the ministry, Guelleh’s candidacy file was deposited on Monday at the Interior Ministry offices in the capital, Djibouti City.
The documents were presented by Guelleh’s campaign director, Abdallah Abdillahi Miguiil, during a ceremony attended by senior members of the ruling coalition.
The delegation was led by Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, who also heads the ruling coalition known as the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP). Leaders from several parties that form part of the coalition were also present.
In a statement shared by the ministry on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, officials explained the process behind the submission.
“As part of the electoral process relating to the presidential election scheduled for April 10, the coalition of the Union for the Presidential Majority officially proceeded to deposit, with the Minister of the Interior, the candidacy file of Ismail Omar Guelleh, the candidate designated by this coalition for the 2026 presidential election,” the statement said.
Interior Minister Saïd Nouh Hassan formally received the documents in line with the country’s legal requirements governing presidential elections.
After completing the administrative process, the ministry issued a receipt confirming that it had received the candidacy file.
The ministry said the electoral process would continue according to the law and pledged fairness during the election period.
“The Ministry of the Interior continues the implementation of the electoral process in compliance with legality, transparency, and equality among candidates,” the ministry said.
Guelleh seeks sixth term
Electoral authorities are expected to review applications from other potential candidates before announcing the final list of those cleared to contest the election.
The official campaign period will begin in the coming weeks ahead of the April vote.
Guelleh, widely known by his initials IOG, has ruled Djibouti since 1999. He first came to power after succeeding the country’s founding president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon.
Over the years, Guelleh has won several elections and remains one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
His latest bid for office follows a constitutional change approved in 2023 that removed the age limit for presidential candidates.
Previously, Djibouti’s constitution barred candidates aged over 75 from running for the presidency. However, lawmakers voted to scrap the restriction, a move that allows Guelleh, now 77, to stand again.
Members of the National Assembly supported the amendment during a parliamentary vote.
National Assembly Speaker Dileita Mohamed Dileita defended the change at the time, arguing that the measure would help maintain stability in a region that often faces political and security challenges.
Djibouti sits in a strategic position in the Horn of Africa and hosts several foreign military bases, making political developments in the country closely watched by regional and international observers.
If elected in April, Guelleh would extend a presidency that has already lasted more than two decades.