Ismail Omar Guelleh, president of Djibouti since 1999, has officially submitted his candidacy to run for a sixth term in the country’s upcoming presidential election scheduled for April.
His application was filed with the Interior Ministry on Monday by his campaign director, Abdallah Abdillahi Miguil, a senior member of the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP) coalition.
The 77-year-old leader is eligible to run again after parliament last year removed the constitutional age limit for presidential candidates. Earlier constitutional changes in 2010 had already abolished the two-term limit for the presidency.
Guelleh is seeking reelection with the backing of a coalition of political parties aligned with the government. Electoral authorities will now review all submitted applications before announcing the final list of candidates allowed to contest the election.
The official campaign period is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Source: TRT Africa
