India, April 11 -- Voters in the small Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti cast ballots for president on Friday, with longtime leader Ismail Omar Guelleh expected to secure a sixth term in office after lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year.

Guelleh, 78, has ruled the country of about 1 million for more than two decades. The results of the 2021 election showed him winning nearly 99 per cent of the vote.

He faces a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former ruling party member, in a race analysts say offers little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms. Critics describe the system as tightly controlled, while authorities point to stability in a vo...