Inside Story - What will Djibouti's elections mean for stability?

It's a country with fewer than a million people and very limited natural resources, yet Djibouti is courted by world powers. That's because of its strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea and south of Suez.

Relatively stable, it has drawn the attention of military planners in Japan, China, France and the US, who have all set up military bases there.

Incumbent president Ismail Omar Guelleh has been in power for 17 years but the opposition accuses him of not doing enough to deal with the country's high unemployment.

According to the World Bank, 20 percent of the population lives in poverty. Not everyone has been enthusiastic about the vote, some opposition parties boycotted it.

Voters in the tiny east African nation of Djibouti cast their ballots to pick a president.

After claims of repression and unfair constitutional change, the election is not without controversy.

What will it mean for stability? What are the global implications from a strategically important part of the world?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

Hamidou Wone - Specialist in conflict management who served as a diplomat in the Horn of Africa

Aly Khan Satchu - Emerging economy specialist in Nairobi

Thomas-John Guinard - Legal officer in charge of Djibouti at the human rights organisation, Alkarama

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