Djibouti Feb 25, 2023 (SD) – Last night, the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held in Djibouti yesterday have shown that the ruling party of President Ismael Omar Guelleh, the UMP, has won a significant victory. The election was marred by numerous irregularities, with only two parties, UMP and the UDJ, competing for the 35 seats in the 65-member National Assembly.

Djibouti’s Minister of the Interior, Said Nuur Hassan, announced the outcome of the elections yesterday. The UMP won 85% of the votes, taking 28 of the 35 seats available, while the UDJ only managed to secure 7 seats. Opposition parties such as the MRD and the ARD denounced the election and called it rigged.

The vote follows the 2021 presidential elections, with Guelleh having won a fifth term as president, taking 97% of the vote. Guelleh, 75, has been ruling Djibouti since 1999 and is not expected to run again due to the constitutional age limit of 75 years.

The Ministry of the Interior is set to announce the official results of the election soon.