Info
Electoral Systems
ES001
Head of State
Question: How is the Head of State selected?
Answer(s):
a . Head of State is the Head of Government c . Directly elected in general elections (absolute majority with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments: The executive power is assured by the President of the Republic who is also Head of the Government.The President of the Republic is elected for �ve years by direct universal suffrage and by majority ballot in two rounds. He is re-eligible under the conditions speci�ed in Article 23 (Any candidate to the functions of President of the Republic must be of Djiboutian nationality, to the exclusion of any other, enjoy their civil and political rights and be forty years of age at least, and of seventy-�ve years at most on the date of the deposit of his candidature.)
Source: “Djibouti’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2010.” Constitute Project, 27 Apr. 2022, www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Djibouti_2010.pdf?lang=en.
Verified: 2023/07/11
ES002
Head of Government
Question: How is the Head of Government selected?
Answer:
b . Directly elected in general elections, absolute majority (with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments: The President of the Republic is the Head of State and the Head of Government. The President of the Republic is elected for five years by direct universal suffrage and majority vote in two rounds.
--It should be noted that Djibouti also has a Prime Minister, which is selected by the President--
Article 40 :The President of the Republic is assisted, in the exercise of his functions, by a Government of which the Prime Minister and the Ministers are members of plain right.
The Government is charged to assist and to be of counsel to the President of the Republic in the exercise of his functions.
The President of the Republic designates the Prime Minister, and on proposal by him, appoints the other members of the Government.
He establishes their attributions and terminates their functions.
The Prime Minister implements the policy of the President of the Republic, coordinates and animates the action of the Government.
The members of the Government are responsible before the President of the Republic.
Source: “Djibouti’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2010.” Constitute Project, 27 Apr. 2022, www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Djibouti_2010.pdf?lang=en.
Verified: 2023/07/11
ES003
President
Question: Does the country have a president?
Answer:
a . Yes
Comments: Term limits were removed from the Constitution in 2010
Source: Constitution, as amended by Constitutional Law n° 134/AN/06/5 L of 21 Avril 2010, art. 21 : https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Djibouti_2010.pdf?lang=en (2016)
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2016/djibouti
Verified: 2023/07/11
ES004
Number of Chambers
Question: The national legislature consists of (one/two chambers):
Answer:
a . One chamber
Comments: The Parliament is constituted by a single Assembly, called the National Assembly, of which the members carry the title of Deputies.
Source: Constitution, as amended by Constitutional Law n° 134/AN/06/5 L of 21 Avril 2010, art. 44: https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Djibouti_2010.pdf?lang=en (2016)
Verified: 2023/07/11
ES005
Electoral System (Chamber 1)
Question: What is the electoral system for Chamber 1 of the national legislature?
Answer(s):
h . Mixed Member Proportional
Comments: The Deputies to the National Assembly are elected for �ve years by direct and secret universal suffrage. They are re-eligible.All Djiboutian citizens, enjoying their civil and political rights, twenty-three years of age or more, are eligible.
The National Assembly is composed of 65 members elected for five years (5 years) to the proportional representation, to the vote of list to a turn, without mixing or preferential vote. It is completely renewed and its members are re-eligible.Parliamentary elections are held within thirty days before or after the expiry of the powers of the members of the National Assembly.The election is won for one of the lists in the running which has received an absolute or relative majority of the votes cast. The majority list is therefore allocated to 80% of the seats to be filled (80%), rounded off, if necessary, to the nearest whole number.Once this allocation has been made, the other seats are allocated to proportional representation according to the rule of the highest average among all the lists which obtained more than 10% of the votes cast, except, however, of the majority list.
If the list or the minority lists in competition do not obtain more than 10% of the votes cast, the totality of the seats returns to the majority list. If several lists have the same average for the allocation of the last seat, this one returns to list which obtained the greatest number of suffrage. In the case of a tie, the seat is allocated to the oldest candidate who may be declared elected. The seats are allocated to the candidates in the order of presentation on the list.
Source: Organic Law No. 1/AN/92 regulating Elections as amended by Law n°16/AN/12, art. 33: http://www.presidence.dj/PresidenceOld/jo/2012/loiorg16an12.php (2018)
“Djibouti’s Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2010.” Constitute Project, 27 Apr. 2022, www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Djibouti_2010.pdf?lang=en.
Verified: 2023/07/11
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