Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh has been re-elected for a sixth term, the Associated Press reported. According to official results announced this morning, he won the presidential election with 97.81% of the vote.
Guelleh, who is 78 years old, has ruled the country for more than two decades - since 1999, BTA reports.
Election authorities reported that the vote passed peacefully. Supporters of the president celebrated the victory in front of the presidential palace.
Guelleh had only one opponent in the election - Mohamed Farah Samatar - a former member of the ruling party. Analysts say the elections have not offered real competition.
Opposition groups often boycott the vote because of restrictions on political freedoms - Guelleh, for example, took over the presidency from his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon.
Djibouti is strategically important, as the country hosts military bases for the United States, China, France and Japan. Its location on a key sea route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden strengthens its role in international trade. The economy relies on revenue from these bases and port services for neighboring Ethiopia, the AP notes.