Djibouti: Djibouti Government Profile

President Ismael Omar Guelleh

Ismael Omar Guelleh, known in Djibouti by his initials, IOG, won a second term in a one-man presidential race in 2005 and a third term in April 2011.

Parliament - which does not include any representatives of the opposition - approved an amendment to the constitution in 2010 allowing the president to run for a third term.

The constitutional reforms as well cut the presidential mandate to five years from six, and created a senate.

Mr Guelleh succeeded his uncle and Djibouti's initial president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in April 1999 at the age of 52. He was elected in a multi-party ballot.

Mr Guelleh supports Djibouti's traditionally strong ties with France and has tried to reconcile the different factions in neighbouring Somalia.

Government

 Under the 1981 and 1992 constitutions, Djibouti is a parliamentary republic. The president, who according to the constitution must be an Issa, is elected by universal adult suffrage; the prime minister, who heads the cabinet, must be an Afar. The legislature consists of the unicameral Chamber of Deputies, whose 65 members are elected for five-year terms. Before 1992, candidates came from a single inventory submitted by the ruling party, the Popular Rally for Evolution (RPP).

In January 1992, the Gouled government named a committee to draft a new constitution that would permit multi-party democracy, limit presidential powers, and establish an independent judiciary. On 4 September 1992, 75% of the voters approved the new constitution in a referendum. And on 18 December 1992, legislative elections were held, with the RPP gaining 74.6% of the vote and the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD) 25.4%. Other parties boycotted the elections on the grounds that Gouled did not consult the opposition in the "democratization" process. Most Afars did not vote. The RPP, therefore, won all 65 seats. Gouled was reelected, although not convincingly, on 7 May 1993. The four losing parties and FRUD, at the time a paramilitary organization in the north (Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy) accused the government of election fraud, a charge supported by international observers. Only 50% of the eligible voters were reported to have turned out.

Judicial system 

The judicial system consists of courts of initial instance, a High Court of Appeal, and a Supreme Court. Each of the five administrative districts as well has a customary court. The legal system is a blend of French codified law, Shari'ah (Islamic law) and customary law of the native nomadic peoples.

The 1992 constitution is modeled on the 1958 French constitution. The judiciary is not completely independent of the executive branch. A national security court handles political trials and cases involving purported threats to national security. Political trials may be applied to the Supreme Court.

The Constitutional Council rules on the constitutionality of laws. The constitution states that the accused enjoys a presumption of innocence and has the right to counsel.