Hiiraan Online
Sunday April 10, 2016
DJIBOUTI (HOL) – Opposition parties in Djibouti have boycotted the re-election of president Ismail Guelleh who extended his 17 years-rule and complained of widespread irregularities and fraud in Friday’s elections.
Mr. Guelleh, a frontrunner in the vote tally had won nearly 87 percent of the votes, with his nearest rival Omar Kheire, an opposition candidate scored just over 7 percent of the votes, according to the official results.
“There was a widespread fraud and votes were rigged, therefore, we have fully boycotted that re-election as sham.” Mohamed Muse Ali, an opposition candidate told reporters Sunday.
Another opposition leader Jama Abdirahman said that opposition parties would not accept the election results, calling it a ‘political coup’.
Omar Kheire, an opposition candidate who came next to Mr, Guelleh disputed the legitimacy of the election, saying that votes have been rigged in favor of Mr. Guelleh.
President Guelleh who was re-elected for the fourth time to lead the tiny horn of Africa nation was elected as the president for the first time in 1999, after succeeding Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled Djibouti since independence in 1977 had maintained a firm grip over
the power in Djibouti.
However rights groups often accuse his government of silencing opposition politicians and journalists. Some of the opposition leaders
were also chased to exile.
He was re-elected in 2005 and again in 2011; however, his re-elections were largely boycotted by the opposition parties amid complaints over
widespread irregularities.
Elections have taken place in Djibouti in every six years since the country’s civil war ended in the 1990s.