Djibouti conducted a presidential election on 8 April 2016 in which Ismail Omar Guelleh won a
fourth five-year term as president, as reported by Aljazeera on 9 April. He has been ruling the country since 1999. The opposition leader told reporters (as reported by Hiiraan Online on 26 April 2016): "There was a
widespread fraud and votes were rigged, therefore, we have fully boycotted that re-election as sham." The regime has been accused of repressing freedom of speech and press. Just two days before the last election, the BBC reported on 6 April that three BCC journalists
had been expelled from the country.
Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "The news that President Omar Guelleh won again sends two clear messages: one is positive and the other negative. Many believe that the election of Omar Guelleh aids stability in the region and this is therefore a positive aspect in the outcome of the election. Stability is important a) since Djibouti"s port is crucial to international trade and a valuable link between Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf and b) the country is located in a region that is witnessing a rise in violent Islamic militancy seeking to cause instability. But the negative aspect is also clear: The regime that has been involved in repressing freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the rule of law and other fundamental rights has won again and is likely to continue such repression. These two messages are also valid from the point of view of Christians in the country."
