Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, in power since 1999, has formally submitted his bid to run for a sixth term in presidential elections scheduled for April, according to documents filed with the Interior Ministry on Monday.

Guelleh’s bid was delivered late in the morning by his campaign director, Abdallah Abdillahi Miguil, who is also a senior member of the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP) coalition.

The 77-year-old leader is eligible for reelection after parliament last year removed the constitutional age ceiling for presidential candidates

The constitution had already been changed in 2010 to remove a two-term limit for the presidency.

Guelleh is making another presidential bid through a coalition of several political parties that support the government.

Electoral authorities are expected to review submitted applications before announcing the final list of candidates eligible to contest the election.

The election campaign is expected to begin in the coming weeks.