DJIBOUTI — Voters in Djibouti cast ballots to elect their president on Friday, with longtime President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh favored to secure a sixth consecutive term in office. The 78-year-old leader, who has ruled the small Horn of Africa nation for more than two decades, faced only one challenger on the ballot — Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party.

Djibouti's lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year, removing what would have been a barrier to Guelleh's continued candidacy. He first came to power in 1999, succeeding his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon. In the 2021 presidential election, Guelleh won nearly 99 percent of the vote.

Opposition groups in Djibouti have frequently boycotted elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms, a pattern that has left past contests with limited competition.

Regional observers from the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development monitored Friday's vote.

"The scrapping of term limits in Djibouti is less about electoral competition and more about preserving regime continuity in a highly strategic state. While it raises concerns about democratic backsliding, external actors are likely to prioritize stability given Djibouti's critical role in Red Sea security and global trade routes, especially amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East." Mohamed Husein Gaas of the Raad Peace Research Institute said.

Djibouti, a nation of about 1 million people, is located along a key global shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The country hosts multiple foreign military bases, including installations operated by the United States, China, France, and Japan.

The nation's economy is underpinned by revenues from those foreign military base arrangements and from port services it provides for neighboring landlocked Ethiopia. Djibouti depends heavily on Ethiopia's use of its ports for international trade access. Global disruptions, including insecurity affecting Red Sea shipping lanes, pose risks to those revenue streams.