View source for List of presidents of Djibouti

{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Short description|none}} <!-- This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! -->
{{EngvarB|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                    = President
| body                    = Djibouti
| native_name             = {{small|{{lang|so|Madaxaweynaha Jamhuuriyadda Djibouti}}}} <br /> {{small|{{lang|ar|رئيس جيبوتي}}}}
| insignia                = Emblem of Djibouti.svg
| insigniasize            = 125px
| insigniacaption         = Coat of Arms
| flag                    = 
| flagsize                = 
| flagborder              = 
| flagcaption             = 
| image                   = Ismail Omar Guelleh 2018.jpg
| alt                     = 
| incumbent               = [[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]]
| acting                  = 
| incumbentsince          = 8 May 1999
| department              = 
| style                   = 
| type                    = {{ubl|[[Head of state]]|[[Executive President|Head of Executive]]}}
| status                  = 
| abbreviation            = POD
| member_of = 
| reports_to              = 
| residence               = Presidential Palace, [[Djibouti (city)|Djibouti]]
| seat                    = [[Djibouti (city)|Djibouti]]
| nominator               = 
| appointer               = 
| appointer_qualified     = 
| termlength              = Five years,
| termlength_qualified    = renewable
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Djibouti]] (1992)
| precursor               = 
| formation               = {{start date and age|df=y|1977|6|27}}
| inaugural               = [[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]]
| last                    = 
| abolished               = 
| succession              = 
| unofficial_names        = 
| deputy                  = 
| salary                  = 1,777,200 [[Djiboutian franc]]s/10,000 USD annually<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voiceofdjibouti.com/tables-turned-at-djibouti-corruption-trial/|title=Tables turned at Djibouti corruption trial|date=29 October 2015}}</ref>
| website                 = https://www.presidence.dj/
}}
{{Politics of Djibouti}}

This is a '''list of [[President (government title)|president]]s of [[Djibouti]]'''. Since the establishment of the office of president in 1977, there have been two presidents. The president is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]] of Djibouti and the [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Djibouti Armed Forces]]. The current president is [[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]], since 1999.

==Overview==
The first president of Djibouti was [[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]], one of the leaders of the Ligue Populaire Africaine pour l'Indépendance (LPAI), who took office on 27 June 1977, the day on which Djibouti was declared a republic.

==Term limits==
There was a two-term limit for the president in the [[Constitution of Djibouti]]. This limit was lifted in 2010.<ref name="termlimits">{{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Candace |last2=Siegle |first2=Joseph |title=Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa |url=https://africacenter.org/spotlight/circumvention-of-term-limits-weakens-governance-in-africa/ |website=Africa Center for Strategic Studies}}</ref> 

==List of officeholders==
;Political parties
{{legend|{{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}|[[People's Rally for Progress]] (PRP)|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan="2" |Portrait
! rowspan="2" |Name<br>{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! rowspan="2" |Elected
! colspan="3" |Term of office
! rowspan="2" |Political party<br>{{small|(Coalition)}}
|-
!Took office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
| colspan="8" bgcolor="lightgrey" | [[File:Flag of Djibouti.svg|25px]] • '''[[Djibouti|Republic of Djibouti]]''' (1977–present) • [[File:Coat of arms of Djibouti.svg|20px]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}; color:white;" | 1
| [[File:Hassan Gouled Aptidon.jpg|frameless|upright=0.4]]
| [[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]]<br />{{small|(1916–2006)}}
| [[1981 Djiboutian presidential election|1981]]<br />[[1987 Djiboutian general election|1987]]<br />[[1993 Djiboutian presidential election|1993]]
| 27 June 1977
| 8 May 1999
| {{ayd|1977|6|27|1999|5|8}}
| [[People's Rally for Progress|RPP]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}; color:white;" | 2
| [[File:Ismail Omar Guelleh 2018.jpg|frameless|upright=0.4]]
| [[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]]<br />{{small|(born 1947)}}{{efn|Nephew of Hassan Gouled Aptidon.}}
| [[1999 Djiboutian presidential election|1999]]<br />[[2005 Djiboutian presidential election|2005]]<br />[[2011 Djiboutian presidential election|2011]]<br />[[2016 Djiboutian presidential election|2016]]<br />[[2021 Djiboutian presidential election|2021]]
| 8 May 1999
| Incumbent
| {{ayd|1999|5|8}}
| [[People's Rally for Progress|RPP]]<br>{{Small|([[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]])}}
|}

==Timeline==
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:21
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AlignBars = late

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

Colors =
  id:ind value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8)    legend:None_(Independent)
  id:rpp value:rgb(0.09,0.58,0.29) legend:People's_Rally_for_Progress

  id:gray1  value:gray(0.85)
  id:gray2  value:gray(0.95)

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1977 till:$today
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
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ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1977

Legend     = columns:1 left:150 top:35 columnwidth:170
 
TextData =
  pos:(20,38) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political party:"

BarData =
 bar:Aptidon
 bar:Guelleh

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  width:5 align:left fontsize:9 shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

 bar:Aptidon
  from: 27/06/1977 till: 04/05/1979 color:ind
  from: 04/05/1979 till: 08/05/1999 color:rpp text:"[[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]]"
 bar:Guelleh
  from: 08/05/1999 till: $today     color:rpp text:"[[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]]"

}}

==Latest election==
{{main|2021 Djiboutian presidential election}}
{{#section-h:2021 Djiboutian presidential election|Results}}

==See also==
* [[History of Djibouti]]
* [[Politics of Djibouti]]
* [[List of prime ministers of Djibouti]]
* [[First Lady of Djibouti]]
* [[French Territory of the Afars and the Issas]] (FTAI)
* [[French Somaliland]]
** [[List of governors of French Somaliland]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Djibouti.html World Statesmen – Djibouti]

{{Djibouti topics}}
{{DjiboutiPresidents}}
{{Years in Djibouti}}
{{Heads of state and government of African states}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presidents of Djibouti}}
[[Category:Lists of national presidents|Djibouti]]
[[Category:Presidents of Djibouti|*]]
[[Category:Djibouti politics-related lists]]
[[Category:1977 establishments in Djibouti]]