Provisional results from the presidential elections in Djibouti suggest that President Ismail Omar Guelleh has secured a record sixth term in office.
According to the results seen by APA on Saturday, Guelleh, the Djiboutian president since 1999, polled 97.8% of the vote.
The constitutional court is yet to confirm the results released by the interior ministry which said the voter turnout is upwards of 80 percent.
President Guelleh 78, had faced Mohamed Farah Samatar who secured 2.19% of the ballot.
Samatar has not reacted to the provisional results of an elections boycotted by other oppsition groups who said there was no levelled playng field which overwhelmingly favoured the incumbent.
They accused Guelleh of reneging on a promise to step down, changing his mind and running for the presidency.
Last November, a provision of the country’s constitution was amended to remove the age limit which at 75 had disqualified him from bidding for the presidency again.
Guelleh’s 27-year stewardship had turned Djibouti into an oasis of stability in a volatile region of border disputes, conflicts and armed insurgencies.
Djibouti’s strategic location in the Horn of Africa makes it an important trade route in the region.
WN/as/APA