2011 Djiboutian presidential election

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] He defeating Mohamed Warsama Ragueh, an attorney and former judge who received 19% of the vote.

2011 Djiboutian presidential election

8 April 2011
111,547 Votes
Nominee Ismaïl Omar Guelleh Mohamed Warsama Ragueh Party RPP Independent Popular vote 89,942 21,605 Percentage 80.63% 19.37%
President before election Ismaïl Omar Guelleh RPP Elected President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh RPP

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

In 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

Democracy 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

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

Guelleh was sworn in for his third term on 8 May 2011.[14]

References

1. Djibouti IFES
2. Djibouti Djibouti validates presidential election Middle East Online, 13 April 2011
3. Djibouti president set for a hattrick at the polls Ahram Online, 5 April 2011
4. Djibouti opposition boycotts election Afrol News, 11 March 2011
5. Djiboutian President Guelleh Wins Vote; Human Rights Watch Doubts Fairness Bloomberg News, 9 April 2011
6. Djibouti lawmakers remove term limits IOL News, 11 April 2010
7. Djiboutians rally to oust president Al Jazeera, 18 February 2011
8. Djibouti Forces Arrest Opposition Leaders, Scuppering Protests Bloomberg News, 11 March 2011
9. Djibouti: Allow Peaceful Protests Human Rights Watch, 4 April 2011
10. Djibouti opposition boycotts presidential election Reuters, 11 March 2011
11. A Reform Programme for Djibouti Abdourahman Boreh
12. Election observers quit Djibouti Financial Times, 15 March 2011
13. Djibouti evicts US vote group ahead of election The San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 March 2011
14. Special envoy of Chinese president attends Djiboutian president's sworn in ceremony Xinhua, 9 May 2011