Djibouti: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland etymology: the country name derives from the capital city of Djibouti |
|---|---|
| Government type | semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Djibouti
Djibouti
geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah |
| Independence | 27 June 1977 (from France) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 27 June (1977) |
| Constitution | approved by referendum 4 September 1992; amended 2006, 2008, 2010 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system based primarily on the French civil code (as it existed in 1997), Islamic religious law (in matters of family law and successions), and customary law |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the mother must be a citizen of Djibouti dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil MOHAMED (since 1 April 2013) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; (constitution amended in 2010 to allow a third term); election last held on 8 April 2016 (next to be held by 2021); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president for a fourth term; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH (RPP) 87%, Omar Elmi KHAIREH (represented the USN) 7.3%, other 5.6% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, formerly the Chamber of Deputies (65 seats; 52 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 13 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 22 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018) election results: percent of vote by party - UMP 61.5%, USN 35.6%, CDU 3.0%; seats by party - UMP 43, USN 21, CDU 1 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA magistrates); Constitutional Council (consists of 6 magistrates) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court magistrates appointed by the president with the advice of the Superior Council of the Magistracy or CSM, a 10-member body consisting of 4 judges, 3 members (non parliamentarians and judges) appointed by the president, and 3 appointed by the National Assembly president or speaker; magistrates appointed for life with retirement at age 65; Constitutional Council magistrate appointments - 2 by the president of the republic, 2 by the president of the National Assembly, and 2 by the CSM; magistrates appointed for 8-year, non-renewable terms subordinate courts: High Court of Appeal; 5 Courts of First Instance; customary courts; State Court (replaced sharia courts in 2003) |
| Political parties and leaders | Democratic National Party or PND (ADEN Robleh Awaleh) Democratic Renewal Party or PRD (Abdillahi HAMARITEH) Djibouti Development Party or PDD (Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM) Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD (Ali Mohamed DAOUD) Movement for Development and Liberty or MODEL (Sheikh Guirreh MEIDAL) People's Rally for Progress or RPP (Ismail Omar GUELLEH) (governing party) Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD (Moumin Bahdon FARAH) Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD (Ahmed YOUSSOUF) Union for a Presidential Majority or UMP (a coalition of parties including RPP, FRUD, PND, and PPSD) Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ (Ismail GUEDI Hared) Union for National Salvation or USN (an umbrella coalition comprising PRD, PDD, MODEL, ARD, and UDJ) (Ahmed Youssouf HOUMER) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU (candidates), COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Siad DOUALEH (since 28 January 2016) chancery: 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: (1) (202) 331-0270 FAX: (1) (202) 331-0302 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas P. KELLY (since 13 October 2014) embassy: Lot 350-B, Haramouss mailing address: B.P. 185, Djibouti telephone: (253) 21 45 30 00 FAX: (253) 21 45 31 29 |
| Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center; blue stands for sea and sky and the Issa Somali people; green symbolizes earth and the Afar people; white represents peace; the red star recalls the struggle for independence and stands for unity |
| National symbol(s) | red star; national colors: light blue, green, white, red |
| National anthem | name: "Jabuuti" (Djibouti) lyrics/music: Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH note: adopted 1977 |