Dileita Mohamed Dileita

Dileita Mohamed Dileita
دليطة محمد دليطة
Prime Minister of Djibouti
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 March 2001
President Ismail Omar Guelleh
Preceded by Barkat Gourad Hamadou
Personal details
Born 12 March 1958 (1958-03-12) (age 53)
Tadjoura, Djibouti
Political party People's Rally for Progress
Religion Sunni Islam

Dileita Mohamed Dileita (Arabic: دليطة محمد دليطة‎) (born March 12, 1958[1][2]) has been the Prime Minister of Djibouti since March 2001.[3][4] He is the Vice-President of the main governing party, the People's Rally for Progress (RPP), and is the President of the governing coalition, the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP).[5]

Biography

Dileita was born in Tadjoura. He studied in Cairo[1][4] and Reims, then went to the Centre for Vocational Education in Médéa, Algeria, from which he graduated in 1981.[1] Following his graduation, he returned to Djibouti, where he worked under the Presidency of the Republic at the Directorate-General of Protocol. He became the second ranking diplomat at the embassy of Djibouti in France in early 1990,[4] and subsequently he became Ambassador to Ethiopia[1][4] in 1997. He also represented Djibouti at the Organization of African Unity, headquartered in Addis Ababa, while serving as Ambassador to Ethiopia, and assisted in the peace talks that ended the 1998–2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.[1]

In December 1999, he was charged with negotiating a peace agreement with a faction of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD); the negotiations led to the signing of an agreement in February 2000.[4] He became Ambassador to Uganda in mid-2000.[6] After long-time Prime Minister Barkat Gourad Hamadou resigned for health reasons in February 2001,[1][7] President Ismail Omar Guelleh appointed Dileita as Prime Minister on March 4, 2001,[3][4][8] and he took office on March 7.[3] He had no prior experience as a minister.[8]

Dileita was elected as the Vice-President of the RPP on July 3, 2003, succeeding Hamadou in that post.[9] Dileita led the ruling coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), in the January 2003 parliamentary election,[10] standing as the first candidate on the coalition's list for the District of Djibouti.[11]

On May 21, 2005, Dileita was reappointed as Prime Minister[12] after Guelleh's re-election in the April 2005 presidential election;[13] a new government under Dileita was named on May 22.[14]

As of 2008, Dileita is the President of the UMP coalition,[15] and he headed the UMP list[16][17][18] for the District of Djibouti in the February 2008 parliamentary election.[18] Following the election, in which the UMP won all seats amidst an opposition boycott, he resigned as Prime Minister on March 25, 2008.[13] Guelleh promptly reappointed him on March 26[19][20] and named a new government under Dileita on March 27.[19][21]

After Guelleh won a third term in the April 2011 presidential election, he reappointed Dileita as Prime Minister on 11 May 2011; he retained Dileita in his post even though various other long-serving ministers were dropped from the new government that was announced on 12 May.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders (2003), page 142–143.
  2. ^ "Bio express", Jeuneafrique.com, November 25, 2007 (French).
  3. ^ a b c "Mar 2001 - DJIBOUTI", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 47, March, 2001 Djibouti, Page 44040.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cherif Ouazani, Interview with Dileita, Jeuneafrique.com, April 18, 2004 (French).
  5. ^ "Sous le signe des réformes", La Nation, May 31, 2007 (French).
  6. ^ "Djibouti president to visit Uganda for talks on Ethiopia, Eritrea conflict", New Vision (nl.newsbank.com), June 19, 2000.
  7. ^ "Long-serving Prime Minister resigns", IRIN, February 6, 2001.
  8. ^ a b "Djibouti: President appoints new prime minister", AFP (nl.newsbank.com), March 4, 2001.
  9. ^ "Le chef de l’Etat préside les travaux de la Session ordinaire du Comité central du Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progrès (RPP)", ADI, 3 July 2003 (French).
  10. ^ "DJIBOUTI: Parliamentary elections set for Friday", IRIN, January 9, 2003.
  11. ^ "Décret n°2002-0261/PR/MID Portant publication des listes des candidats en vue des élections législatives du vendredi 10 janvier 2003.", Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, December 25, 2002 (French).
  12. ^ "Décret n°2005-0067/PRE portant nomination du Premier Ministre.", Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, May 21, 2005 (French).
  13. ^ a b "Djibouti on the lookout for a new government after general elections", African Press Agency, March 26, 2008.
  14. ^ "Décret n°2005-0069/PRE portant nomination des membres du Gouvernement.", Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, May 22, 2005 (French).
  15. ^ "Un taux de participation record", La Nation, February 17, 2008 (French).
  16. ^ "Début du vote avec retard pour les législatives", AFP, 8 February 2008.
  17. ^ "Djibouti votes amid opposition boycott", AFP (IOL), February 8, 2008.
  18. ^ a b "Liste des 65 candidats de l’UMP pour les législatives de février 2008", ADI, 22 January 2008 (French).
  19. ^ a b "Re-appointed Djiboutian Premier forms new cabinet", African Press Agency, March 27, 2008 (French).
  20. ^ "Décret n°2008-0083/PRE portant nomination du Premier ministre.", Official Journal of the Republic of Djibouti, March 26, 2008 (French).
  21. ^ "Décret n°2008-0084/PRE portant nomination des membres du Gouvernement.", Official Journal of the Republic of Djibouti, March 27, 2008 (French).
  22. ^ "Djibouti: le président réélu forme un nouveau gouvernement", Belga, 12 May 2011 (French).
Political offices
Preceded by
Barkat Gourad Hamadou		 Prime Minister of Djibouti
2001–present		 Incumbent