Hassan Gouled Aptidon
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Hassan Gouled Aptidon (Somali: Xasan Guuleed Abtidoon. Arabic: حسن جولد أبتيدون) (October 15, 1916 - 21 November 2006) was the President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.
He was born in a small village called Garissa in the Lughaya district of Somaliland. Before becoming president of Djibouti, he was an important leader in Djibouti's struggle for independence from France. He served as vice-president of the government council from 1958 to 1959 and as Prime Minister between May 1977 and July 1977.
In 1981, he turned the country into a one party state by declaring that his party, the Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progrès (RPP) (People's Rally for Progress), was the sole legal one. After the breakout of a civil war in 1991 he allowed for a constitutional referendum on multiparty politics in September 1992, with four parties being permitted; in the parliamentary elections held in December 1992, however, only two parties competed, and the RPP won all 65 seats in the National Assembly. Gouled was reelected for a fourth term in May 1993 with 60.7% of the vote.[1]
He stepped down in 1999, at the age of 83. His successor was his nephew, Ismail Omar Guelleh. He died on 21 November 2006 aged 90.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Elections in Djibouti, African Elections Database.
- ^ "Décès du Président Hassan Gouled à l’âge de 90 ans", Agence djiboutienne d'information, 2006-11-21. (in French)
| Preceded by: (–) |
President of Djibouti 1977–1999 |
Succeeded by: Ismaïl Omar Guelleh |
| Preceded by: (–) |
Prime Minister of Djibouti 1977 |
Succeeded by: Ahmed Dini Ahmed |
| Presidents of Djibouti |  |
|---|---|
| Hassan Gouled Aptidon • Ismail Omar Guelleh |
| Prime Ministers of Djibouti | |
|---|---|
| Hassan Gouled Aptidon • Ahmed Dini Ahmed • Abdallah Mohamed Kamil • Barkat Gourad Hamadou • Dileita Mohamed Dileita |
