ARTA (SD) – People Djibouti have today headed to the polls to elect new president, with many expect Ismail Omar Gulleh to won the elections and extend his two-decade rule of the tiny Horn of Africa nation.

Under tightened security, hundreds of thousands of Djibouti people have queued at hundreds of polling stations across the nation to cast their votes.

A political newcomer Zakaria Ismail Farah is contesting with the incumbent president Guelleh as candidates from other opposition parties decided to boycott the election.

Farah, 56, well known businessman specialized in the importation of cleaning products is seen as as unlikely to pose a significant challenge to Guelleh who has been ruling the country since 1999.

Djibouti, a largely desert country strategically situated on one of the world’s busiest trade routes and at the crossroads between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is a key staging ground for both the United States, France and China.

According to Wikipedia, Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 921,804 inhabitants (the smallest in mainland Africa).

French and Arabic are the country’s two official languages, Afar and Somali are national languages.

About 94% of residents adhere to Islam, which is the official religion and has been predominant in the region for more than a thousand years.