Government and power in Djibouti

Who leads Djibouti, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.

Who leads Djibouti?

• Head of state: Ismaël Omar Guelleh (Président de la République de Djibouti et Chef du Gouvernement)
• Head of government: Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (Premier Ministre de la République de Djibouti)
• Foreign minister: Abdoulkader Houssein Omar (Ministre des Affaires Etrangères et de la Coopération Internationale, Porte-Parole du Gouvernement de la République de Djibouti)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Djibouti

Government

• Presidency of the Republic
  Publishes presidential decrees, Council of Ministers communiqués and government news.
• Ministry of Economy and Finance
  Publishes budget laws, public finance documents and economic reports.

Parliament

• National Assembly (page on the Presidency website)
  Publishes information on the National Assembly; the IPU lists this page as the chamber's website.

Courts

• Constitutional Council
  Publishes decisions on the constitutionality of laws and on election disputes.

Laws and the official gazette

• Official Journal of the Republic of Djibouti
  Publishes laws, decrees and official texts of Djibouti.

Government below the national level

• Regions (5: Tadjourah, Ali-Sabieh, Dikhil, Arta, Obock): Regional councils elected by universal suffrage (first in 2006; 2017; 2022 for 2022–2027). A prefect appointed by the state.
• Djibouti City: City council of 35 drawn from the three communal councils; it elects the mayor by secret ballot
• Communes of Djibouti City (3: Ras Dika, Boulaos, Balbala): Elected communal councils; the commune assembly elects its president
• Sub-prefectures (13): Sub-prefects appointed

How local power works in Djibouti

Places in Djibouti

• Official statistics for Djibouti

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.