Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003

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Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003

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←  1997 10 January 2003 2008  →
All 65 seats to the National Assembly

  First party Second party
  Ismail Omar Guelleh 2010.jpg Dini1.jpg
Leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh Ahmed Dini Ahmed
Party UMP UAD
Seats won 65 0
Seat change No change No change
Popular vote53,293 31,660
Percentage62.7% 37.3%
SwingDecrease2.svg 18.11%Increase2.svg 18.11%
President before election

Idriss Arnaoud Ali
RPP

Elected President

Idriss Arnaoud Ali
RPP

Djibouti
Coat of arms of Djibouti.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Djibouti
Constitution

The 2003 Djiboutian parliamentary election took place in Djibouti on 10 January 2003 to elect the National Assembly of Djibouti. The ruling coalition of President Ismail Omar Guelleh won all 65 seats in the election defeating an opposition coalition.

Djibouti Country in Africa

Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east. Djibouti occupies a total area of 23,200 km2 (8,958 sq mi).

Contents

Background

After being a one-party state from 1977 to 1992, limited opposition was allowed in the last two parliamentary elections. The previous parliamentary election in 1997 however still saw supporters of President Guelleh win all of the seats in Parliament. The situation was changed for the 2003 election in that a law under which the number of political parties was restricted to four expired and full multi-party democracy was allowed. [1]

A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties are either outlawed or allowed to take only a limited and controlled participation in elections. Sometimes the term de facto one-party state is used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike the one-party state, allows democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning the elections.

A political party is an organized group of people, often with common views, who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and programmes, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their supporters' interests.

For parliamentary elections Djibouti is divided up into five constituencies, with each constituency having varying number of seats. [2] In each constituency the party or coalition which won the highest vote received all of the seats from that constituency. [2] The 2003 election would also be the first time women would be elected to the Djibouti parliament after a new law was passed requiring a minimum of 10% male or female candidates on each parties candidate list. [3] [4]

An electoral district, (election) precinct, election district, or legislative district, called a voting district by the US Census is a territorial subdivision for electing members to a legislative body. Generally, only voters (constituents) who reside within the district are permitted to vote in an election held there. From a single district, a single member or multiple members might be chosen. Members might be chosen by a first-past-the-post system or a proportional representative system, or another voting method entirely. Members might be chosen through a direct election under universal suffrage, an indirect election, or another form of suffrage.

Campaign

The election was contested between two coalitions. [5] The ruling Union for a Presidential Majority led by Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita comprised the parties People's Rally for Progress, Front for Restoration of Unity and Democracy, National Democratic Party and the Social Democratic People's Party. [5] They were opposed in the election by an opposition coalition called the Union for a Democratic Change in Government and led by a former Prime Minister Ahmed Dini Ahmed. [5] This coalition comprised the Republican Alliance for Democracy, Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development, Djibouti Party for Development and the Djibouti Union for Democracy and Justice. [5]

The Union for the Presidential Majority is the ruling political coalition in Djibouti. The coalition supports the Presidency of Ismaïl Omar Guelleh.

Dileita Mohamed Dileita Prime Minister of Djibouti

Dileita Mohamed Dileita is a Djiboutian politician who was the Prime Minister of Djibouti from 7 March 2001 to 1 April 2013. He was Vice-President of the People's Rally for Progress (RPP), the governing political party, until 2012. He also served as President of the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), the governing coalition. In June 2014, Dileita was appointed as the African Union's Special Envoy for Libya.

The People's Rally for Progress is a political party in Djibouti. It has dominated politics in the country since 1979, initially under the rule of President Hassan Gouled Aptidon. Today it is led by President Ismail Omar Guelleh and is in a coalition government with Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) and other parties.

Five of the parties in these coalitions were new, having been formed since the law restricting the number of political parties had expired. [1] The opposition alliance was hurt by the decision of Aden Robleh Awaleh and his National Democratic Party to move from the opposition to being a member of the government coalition. [4] Government supporters attacked the opposition leader Ahmed Dini Ahmed for his previous role as a leader of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy during the Djiboutian Civil War in the early 1990s. [1] The Union for the Presidential Majority called for voters to support them so they could continue to bring economic development to Djibouti and to reduce poverty and unemployment. [3] Meanwhile, the opposition criticised the government's record, accusing it of numerous failures and called on voters to bring political change to Djibouti. [1] [3]

Aden Robleh Awaleh is a Djiboutian politician and President of the National Democratic Party (PND). He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti.

Ahmed Dini Ahmed Prime Minister of Djibouti

Ahmed Dini Ahmed was a Djiboutian politician. He was trained as a health technician and entered the political realm at age 26. He served as Vice-president of the Representative Council of French Somaliland from April 1959 to June 1960, he was a member of the government of Ali Aref Bourhan in 1962-1964, he then participated in the foundation of the Afar Democratic Union (UDA). He is Minister of Home Affairs until 1971. In 1975, he became spokesman for the new African People's League for Independence (LPAI), led by Hassan Gouled Aptidon and was later Prime Minister of Djibouti from 1977 to 1978. In July 1977, he became Prime Minister of the new Republic of Djibouti. In December, after the bombing of the Palm in Zinc, and the consequent ban on the Movement for the Liberation (MPL), he resigned and returned to the opposition. He led the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD), an Afar rebel group, during the civil war of the 1990s; after the group split in 1994, he led a radical faction of FRUD.

Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy political party

The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy is a political party in Djibouti. It is aligned with the interests of the Afar people who live in that country, although it has supporters residing outside of Djibouti.

Election results

The results saw the Union for the Presidential Majority win all of the seats in the Djibouti parliament after topping the vote in all five constituencies. [4] In total they won 62.7% as against 37.3% for the opposition coalition. [4] The opposition came closest to winning seats in the capital Djibouti city where they won just short of 45% of the vote. [4] The election saw 7 women elected to parliament for the first time. [3]

Djibouti (city) Capital in Djibouti Region, Djibouti

Djibouti City is the eponymous capital and largest city of Djibouti. It is located in the coastal Djibouti Region on the Gulf of Tadjoura.

International election monitors generally praised the election saying that "the electoral operations have been free from irregularities". [3] However the opposition denounced the results saying that they were fraudulent and that there had been ballot stuffing, multiple voting and some voting cards had not been distributed. [2] The opposition leader Dini said he would take their case to the constitutional court, but called on his supporters to not launch street protests. [3] [4]

e  •  d  Summary of the 10 January 2003 National Assembly of Djibouti election results
Parties and coalitionsVotes%Seats
Union for the Presidential Majority (Union pour la Majorité Présidentielle) 53,29362.765
Union for a Democratic Change (Union pour l’Alternance Démocratique) 31,66037.30
Total (turnout 48.4 %)84,953100%65
Sources: Adam Carr/Djibouti Information Agency website, ElectionGuide

Related Research Articles

Politics of Djibouti

Politics of Djibouti takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the executive power is exercised by the President and the Government. Legislative power is vested in both the Government and the National Assembly. The party system and legislature are dominated by the socialist People's Rally for Progress. In April 2010, a new constitutional amendment was approved. The President serves as both the head of state and head of government, and is directly elected for single six-year term. Government is headed by the President, who appoints the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers on the proposal of the latter. There is also a 65-member chamber of deputies, where representatives are popularly elected for terms of five years. Administratively, the country is divided into five regions and one city, with eleven additional district subdivisions. Djibouti is also part of various international organisations, including the United Nations and Arab League.

Ismaïl Omar Guelleh President of Djibouti

Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is the current President of Djibouti, in office since 1999. He is often referred to in the region by his initials, IOG.

The National Democratic Party is a political party in Djibouti. It was founded as an opposition party in 1992 by Aden Robleh Awaleh, who remains the party's president. It was part of the ruling coalition in 2005, but has since rejoined the opposition against President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh.

Hassan Gouled Aptidon President of Djibouti

Hassan Gouled Aptidon was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.

The Republican Alliance for Democracy is an opposition political party in Djibouti, founded by Ahmed Dini Ahmed. In the parliamentary election held on 10 January 2003, the party was part of the Union for a Democratic Change, which won 37.3% of the popular vote but no seats in the National Assembly.

2008 Djiboutian parliamentary election

A parliamentary election was held in Djibouti on 8 February 2008. There were 65 candidates running for the 65 seats in the National Assembly, with all of the candidates coming from the ruling coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP). The opposition boycotted the election, and the UMP won all 65 seats.

Moumin Bahdon Farah was a Djiboutian politician and the President of the Social Democratic People's Party (PPSD). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1978 to 1993 and Minister of Justice from 1993 to 1996. Currently, he was a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti.

Ali Mohamed Daoud, also known as Jean-Marie, is a Djiboutian politician and the President of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD). He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti.

2005 Djiboutian presidential election

The 2005 Djiboutian presidential election took place on the 8 April 2005. The incumbent President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, was re-elected to a second six-year term in an unopposed election.

2011 Djiboutian presidential election

Voters in Djibouti re-elected President Ismail Omar Guelleh by an 80% margin in that nation's April 8, 2011 presidential election. He defeated Mohamed Warsama Ragueh, an attorney and former judge who took 19% of the vote.

2011 Djiboutian protests protest

The 2011 Djiboutian protests were widespread demonstrations and riots that took place between January and March 2011 in Djibouti, situated in the Horn of Africa. A member of the Arab League, the protests in Djibouti showed a clear influence from the concurrent Arab Spring protests in North Africa and the Arabian peninsula. The demonstrations ended after mass arrests and the barring of international observers.

2013 Djiboutian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Djibouti on 22 February 2013. After their boycott of the 2008 elections, opposition groups contested the elections as the Union for National Safety alliance.

2016 Georgian parliamentary election elections

Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 8 October 2016 to elect the 150 members of Parliament. The ruling Georgian Dream coalition, led by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, sought a second term in office. Opposition parties included the former ruling party and main opposition, the United National Movement (ENM); the Free Democrats, formerly a member of the Georgian Dream coalition and led by Irakli Alasania; and the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia.

2016 Djiboutian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Djibouti on 8 April 2016. Incumbent President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh was re-elected for a fourth term, receiving 87% of the vote in the first round.

2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Djibouti on 23 February 2018. The election was boycotted by the main opposition parties, including some of the parties in the Union for National Salvation coalition, which had won 10 seats in the previous elections in 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Djiboutis to vote Friday in Parliamentary polls". Middle East Online. 9 January 2003. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Djibouti opposition: official poll results rigged". Middle East Online. 13 January 2003. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Djibouti: parliamentary elections Assemblée nationale, 2003". Inter-Parliamentary Union . Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "President's backers win Djibouti poll". BBC Online . 11 January 2003. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Election Profile for Djibouti". ElectionGuide. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
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