Aptidon, Hassan Gouled

Born in what is now Somalia . Representative of the Issa . He advocated the independence of Djibouti from France and against its accession to Somalia. After the elections of 1958 , in which the Republican Party , which was in favor of unification with Somalia, was defeated, Aptedon became vice-chairman of the Government Council, and in April 1959 was elected to represent Djibouti in the National Assembly of France . In 1963 - 1967 he was the Minister of Education, and in May 1977 became the Prime Minister of the country, which became independent on June 27 , after which Aptidon became President, until July also remaining Prime Minister.

In 1981, Aptidon proclaimed a one-party regime, becoming the head of the only party, the People’s Association for Progress , and was re-elected to the presidency as the only candidate. Despite tough governance in political life, the economy of Djibouti grew. In 1991 , there was a civil war with opposition forces in the country, and in September 1992, Aptedon held a referendum, which approved a multi-party structure of the country with no more than four political forces. However, his party won all the seats in parliament, and Aptedon himself was re-elected next year for another six-year term, receiving 60.7%.

In the 1990s, a sharp decline began in the economy of Djibouti, which prompted Aptidon to call his nephew Ismail Omar Gelle , who was elected in 1999, his successor in the presidency. However, Aptidon remained an influential political figure and chief adviser to his nephew until his death.