E. African nation Djibouti holds parliament polls

February 22, 2013 @ 4:47 am

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Voters in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti are casting ballots in the nation's parliamentary elections.

Friday's vote is notable because opposition political parties can win seats for the first time.

Djibouti _ a nation of less than 1 million people _ hosts the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa, Camp Lemonnier. The base hosts conventional forces but also special forces and aerial drones believed to be flown over Yemen and Somalia.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh won a third term in 2011 in a vote colored by an opposition boycott and a clampdown on dissent. Guelleh's critics lament changes he made to the constitution in 2010 that scrubbed a two-term limit from the nation's bylaws.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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