Guelleh (78) has been ruling this small country in the Horn of Africa with about one million inhabitants for more than two decades. Last year, parliamentarians abolished the age limit of 75 for the presidential function, allowing him to run for office. The electoral commission announced that the voting proceeded peacefully. At the presidential palace, supporters celebrated and offered congratulations on Saturday. Guelleh had only one opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party, in a race that analysts say offered very little genuine political competition. Opposition groups often boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms as the reason. In 1999, Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, extending the family system of power that has shaped the country's politics for decades. Djibouti hosts several foreign military bases, including American, Chinese, French, and Japanese, highlighting its strategic importance on a key global shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Revenue from these arrangements, along with port services for neighboring Ethiopia, form the backbone of the economy.