# Term Limits Abolished (2010)

URL: https://allhistories.com/djibouti/timeline/2010-term-limits-abolished
Location: Djibouti City, Djibouti
Themes: main-event

The 1992 constitution limited the president to two six-year terms, which would have barred Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2005, from standing in 2011. With the National Assembly entirely composed of members of the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority after the 2008 election, the government proposed a broad constitutional revision. On 19 April 2010 the assembly adopted the amendment by a large majority. It removed the limit on the number of terms, shortened the presidential mandate from six to five years, set an upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates and provided for the creation of a Senate. The opposition and civil society denounced the change as a manoeuvre to keep Guelleh in power indefinitely. The amendment allowed Guelleh to run in 2011, 2016 and 2021. The Senate it envisaged was never established, and the age limit became the next obstacle to his rule; it was removed in turn by a further amendment in October–November 2025, clearing the way for a sixth term in 2026. At this point in the timeline (19 April 2010), the President of Djibouti was Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (7 May 2005 – 8 May 2011). Government: the Prime Minister of Djibouti was Dileita Mohamed Dileita (7 March 2001 – 1 April 2013).

## Why it matters
The amendment made possible Guelleh's open-ended rule and was the template for the 2025 removal of the age limit.

Ruler at the Time: [Ismaïl Omar Guelleh](https://allhistories.com/djibouti/rulers/ismail-omar-guelleh)

Prime Minister of Djibouti: Dileita Mohamed Dileita (People's Rally for Progress)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Constitution of Djibouti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Djibouti)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Djibouti constitution 2010 term limits](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Djibouti+constitution+2010+term+limits)
- [Wikipédia (French) — Constitution de Djibouti](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_de_Djibouti)
- [Wikipedia — Guelleh'S Djibouti (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%C3%AFl_Omar_Guelleh)