[5] In April 2010, the National Assembly of Djibouti amended the Constitution to allow Guelleh to stand for a third term.

[6] Coinciding with the wider Arab Spring, protesters began calling for President Guelleh's ousting in February 2011.

[8][9] Another potential candidate, businessman Abdourahman Boreh, who was living in self-imposed exile in London, did not participate because Guelleh was on the ballot.

[10][11] Democracy International (DI), an organization funded by USAID, had been in the country since November planning to monitor the elections, but was told to leave by the government on 21 March 2011 after officials questioned its impartiality.

[12][13] The African Union and the U.S. and French embassies sent some observers to monitor the elections, as did other regional groups.