Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh will seek a sixth term in elections set for April 2026, a statement said Saturday.

The 77-year-old leader, in power since 1999, was nominated by his party, the ruling Popular Rally for Progress (RPP), at a congress in the capital on Saturday.

The statement added that he accepted the nomination with "gratitude", promising to reaffirm "his commitment to unity, stability, and development amid global challenges".

He won the last election in 2021 with 97 percent of the vote while his coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority, holds the majority of parliamentary seats.

The move comes less than a week after Parliament voted to remove the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates from the Constitution.

Term limits removed

In 2010, the Constitution was amended to remove the two-term limit.

Guelleh succeeded Hassan Gouled Aptidon, the father of Djibouti's independence, in 1999 after serving as his chief of staff for 22 years.

He left the door open to a sixth five-year term in an interview given in May to the magazine Africa Report.

"All I can tell you is that I love my country too much to embark on an irresponsible adventure and be the cause of divisions," he said when asked about his candidacy.

He also addressed the persistent rumours around his health, admitting he "probably" needed to "lose a few pounds."

"Otherwise, everything is perfect," he said.

Djibouti has only around one million inhabitants but lies on the strategic trade route of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea.