 Djibouti opposition leader Ahmed Youssouf Houmed © ARD-Djibouti/afrol NewsPolitics Djibouti vote rigging may cause new mass protests
The Minister of the Interior of Djibouti, Hassan Darar Houffaneh, on Saturday announced the preliminary election results. According to his statement, the ruling Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) had gained 49.39 percent of the popular vote in the capital, Djibouti City, while the oppositional National Salvation Union only achieved 47.61 percent. In the capital, the counting had ended.
The USN leader further claims that the opposition victory in Djibouti-City had been even clearer. Despite the stuffing of votes, polling station leaders had reported on a clear victory of the USN after the votes had been counted. "The USN won 80 percent of the mandates in the capital," Mr Houmed claims to know. "Despite of that, the regime does not hesitate to declare that its list won in Djibouti-City." The opposition therefore declared it "rejects" the official election results as announced by the Minister of the Interior "in the strongest manner." Further, Mr encouraged citizens of Djibouti to participate in "a peaceful national mobilisation to get an end to status quo as it has existed during 36 years," referring to the years the current regime has held power. The opposition leader urges people to stream to an information meeting the USN is to hold in Djibouti-City this afternoon. "The battle continues," Mr Houmed announced. The opposition hopes to reconnect to the mass protests in January and February
Armed police troops attacked with sharp ammunition at sunset as the protesters tried to establish an overnight camp compared to the one on Tahrir Square in Cairo - the big role model for the Djibouti protests. The protests went on for weeks, but with time, police troops managed to extinguish the momentum of the movement by effectively closing access to the city centre. By the beginning of March, the protest movement had died out and the Arab spring had ended in Djibouti. President Guelleh shortly thereafter, in April 2011, made sure to get re-elected in a poll totally boycotted by the opposition. Since that, there has been some kind of reconciliation process between government and the opposition, resulting in the USN being the first opposition platform participating in a Djibouti election for years. But as a consequence of the election, the trust and reconciliation has seen an abrupt end, and it is quite possible that the frustration again will end in a wave of mass protests and unrest. By staff writer © afrol News - Create an e-mail alert for Djibouti news - Create an e-mail alert for Politics news
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