Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh has won an election with 97.8% of the vote, keeping him at the helm of the strategically-placed Horn of Africa nation for a sixth term, preliminary official results show.

The 78-year-old’s sole challenger Mohamed Farah Samatar got 2.19% of the vote, in a poll boycotted by most of the opposition.

In power for 27 years, Guelleh had promised to step down, but ran for re-election after the constitution was amended in November to remove the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.

Guelleh’s campaign focused on the fact that he had maintained stability in Djibouti at a time when other regional states, and the Middle East, had been hit by conflict.

Lying on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Djibouti serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

The US, China, France, Italy and Japan have military bases in the country.

Guelleh is only Djibouti’s second president since it gained its independence from France in 1977.

The leaders of the main opposition parties – including Dahir Ahmed Farah – have boycotted elections since 2016, saying there was no free political activity.

Guelleh celebrated his victory at his home, saying it was a victory for the entire nation.

Officials mentioned that more than 80% of registered voters cast their ballots in Friday’s election.

Samatar, who was the flag-bearer of a insignificant party with no parliamentary seats, has not yet commented.

The results were released by the interior ministry but still need to be validated by judges on the constitutional council before Guelleh can be sworn in for another five-year term.

He won the 2021 election by a similar margin.

In 2010, Djibouti’s parliament scrapped term limits, and shortened presidential mandates from six to five years.

It also set 75 as the age limit for candidates, before changing the constitution in November so that Guelleh could run for office again.

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