{{Short description|Political party in Djibouti}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox political party | country = Djibouti | name = People's Rally for Progress | native_name = [[French Language|French]]: Rassemblement populaire pour le Progrès<br/>[[Arabic Language|Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|التجمع الشعبي من أجل التقدم}} | logo = People's Rally for Progress.png | leader = [[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]] | foundation = 4 March 1979<ref>{{Cite book|title=Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019|page=442|first=Tom|last=Lansford|year=2019|isbn=9781544327136}}</ref> in [[Dikhil]] | dissolution = | ideology = [[Welfare state|Social welfarism]]<ref name="Africa Elects">{{cite web |title=Djibouti |url=https://africaelects.com/djibouti/ |website=africaelects.com }}</ref><br>[[Socialism]]<ref>Lansford, Tom. Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019. p. 442.</ref> | position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref name="Africa Elects" /> to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]<ref>Lansford, Tom. Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019. p. 442.</ref> | headquarters = [[Djibouti City]] | newspaper = | youth_wing = | membership_year = | membership = | national = [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|Union for the Presidential Majority]] | international = | colors = [[Green]] | colorcode = {{party color|People's Rally for Progress}} | website = {{URL|http://www.rpp.dj/}} | footnotes = }}
The '''People's Rally for Progress''' ({{langx|ar|التجمع الشعبي من أجل التقدم|ạltãjamũʿu ạlsẖãʿ̊bīũ min ạảjal ạltãqadũma}}; {{langx|fr|Rassemblement populaire pour le Progrès}}, '''RPP''') is a [[political party]] in [[Djibouti]]. It has dominated politics in the country since 1979, initially under the rule of President [[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]]. Today it is led by President [[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]] and is in a coalition government with [[Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy]] (FRUD) and other parties. The RPP tends to hold more influence among the [[Issa (clan)|Issa]] population.{{citation needed|date=January 2026}}
The RPP was founded in [[Dikhil]] on 4 March 1979.<ref name=LaNation>[http://www.lanation.dj/news/2004/ln28/national4.htm "Récit d’une journée commémorant les 25 ans d’existence du RPP"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312111140/http://www.lanation.dj/news/2004/ln28/national4.htm |date=12 March 2020 }}, ''La Nation'' (Djibouti), 8 March 2004 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> It was declared the sole legal party in October 1981, retaining this status until multiparty politics was introduced in the [[Djiboutian constitutional referendum, 1992|September 1992 referendum]].<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2d5a2,469f3882c,0.html "Chronology for Afars in Djibouti"], Minorities at Risk Project (UNHCR Refworld), 2004.</ref> At the party congress held on 19–20 March 1997, Gouled Aptidon was re-elected as RPP President and a 125-member Central Committee was elected.<ref>[http://www.africa.upenn.edu/eue_web/hoa0497.htm "First FRUD congress held"], ''Indian Ocean Newsletter'', 16 April 1997 (''Horn of Africa Monthly Review'', 21 February–28 April 1997).</ref> It contested the [[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1997|December 1997 parliamentary election]] in alliance with the moderate faction of FRUD (which had signed a peace agreement with the government in December 1994), and this alliance won 79% of the vote, taking all 65 seats in the [[National Assembly of Djibouti|National Assembly]].<ref>''Political Handbook of the World: 1998'' (1998), page 261 (cited in [http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,QUERYRESPONSE,,DJI,3ae6aac550,0.html "Djibouti: Political opposition parties (This Response replaces an earlier version dated 13 January 1999.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520004544/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type%2CQUERYRESPONSE%2C%2CDJI%2C3ae6aac550%2C0.html |date=20 May 2011 }}", Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (UNHCR Refworld), DJI31018.FE, 1 February 1999.</ref>
On 4 February 1999, President Gouled Aptidon announced that he would retire at the time of the next election, and an extraordinary congress of the RPP, chose Guelleh as its presidential candidate.<ref>"Djibouti: President Gouled Aptidon to retire in April after 22 years in power", AFP (nl.newsbank.com), 4 February 1999.</ref> As the joint candidate of the RPP and moderate wing of the [[Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy]] (FRUD), Guelleh won the [[Djiboutian presidential election, 1999|presidential election]] held on 9 April 1999 with 74% of the vote, defeating his only challenger, the independent candidate [[Moussa Ahmed Idriss]].<ref>[http://www.presidence.dj/page274.html "Proclamation du Président de la République de Djibouti par le Conseil Constitutionnel."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816044615/http://www.presidence.dj/page274.html |date=16 August 2007 }}, Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>
In the [[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003|parliamentary election]] held on 10 January 2003, the party was part of the Union for a Presidential Majority (''Union pour la Majorité Présidentielle'', UMP), that won 63% of the popular vote and all 65 seats.
The RPP opened its Eighth Ordinary Congress on 4 March 2004,<ref name=LaNation/><ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20561446_ITM "Djibouti president chairs ruling party congress."], BBC Monitoring International Reports, 4 March 2004.</ref> coinciding with the party's 25th anniversary. At this congress, Guelleh was unanimously re-elected as RPP President by acclamation for another three-year term, and the RPP Central Committee was expanded from 180 to 250 members.<ref name=LaNation/> On 4 March 2007, the RPP held its Ninth Ordinary Congress; Guelleh was again re-elected as RPP President, and three women were added to the Political Bureau, expanding it to 17 members.<ref>[http://www.lanation.dj/news/2007/ln27/national.htm "L'art de rassembler"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119120212/http://www.lanation.dj/news/2007/ln27/national.htm |date=19 November 2007 }}, ''La Nation'', 5 March 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> It contested the [[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2008|February 2008 parliamentary election]] together with its UMP coalition partners,<ref name=IPU>[http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2089_E.htm IPU-PARLINE page for 2008 election].</ref><ref>[http://www.lanation.dj/news/2008/ln6/national6.htm "14% de sièges aux femmes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119200233/http://www.lanation.dj/news/2008/ln6/national6.htm |date=19 January 2008 }}, ''La Nation'', 16 January 2008 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> and the UMP again won all 65 seats amidst an opposition boycott.<ref name=IPU/>
== Electoral history ==
=== Presidential elections === {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Election !Party candidate !Votes !'''%''' !Result |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 1981|1981]] | rowspan="3" |[[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]] |97,473 |84.58% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian general election, 1987|1987]] |90,675 |99.23% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 1993|1993]] |45,162 |60.7% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 1999|1999]] | rowspan="6" |[[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]] |76,853 |74.02% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 2005|2005]] |144,433 |100% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 2011|2011]] |89,951 |80.64% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[Djiboutian presidential election, 2016|2016]] |111,389 |87.07% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[2021 Djiboutian presidential election|2021]] |167,536 |97.44% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |- |[[2026 Djiboutian presidential election|2026]] |204,874 |97.01% |'''Elected''' {{Y}} |}
=== National Assembly elections === {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Election !Party leader !Votes !'''%''' !Seats !+/– !Position !Result |- |[[1977 Afars and Issas Constituent Assembly election|1977]] | rowspan="5" |[[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]] |<br>{{Small|as [[People's Rally for Independence|RPI]]}} |65.8% |{{Composition bar|65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{increase}} 65 |{{increase}} 1st |{{yes2|Supermajority government }} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1982|1982]] |77,984 |100% |{{Composition bar|65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|Sole legal party}} |- |[[Djiboutian general election, 1987|1987]] |88,193 |100% |{{Composition bar| 65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|Sole legal party}} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1992|1992]] |53,578 |74.59% |{{Composition bar|65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|Supermajority government }} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1997|1997]] |72,073 {{Small| joint candidate list with [[Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy|FRUD]]}} |78.56% |{{Composition bar|54|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|RPP-[[Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy|FRUD]] coalition government}} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003|2003]] | rowspan="5" |[[Ismaïl Omar Guelleh]] |53,293 {{Small|as part of the [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]]}} |62.7% |{{Composition bar|65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|[[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]] coalition government}} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2008|2008]] |103,463<br>{{Small|as part of the [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]]}} |94.06% |{{Composition bar|65|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{steady}} |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|[[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]] coalition government}} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2013|2013]] |74,016<br>{{Small|as part of the [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]]}} |61.5% |{{Composition bar|55|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{decrease}} 10 |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|[[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]] coalition government}} |- |[[Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2018|2018]] |105,278<br>{{Small|as part of the [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]]}} |87.83% |{{Composition bar|57|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{increase}} 2 |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|[[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]] coalition government}} |- |[[2023 Djiboutian parliamentary election|2023]] |159,658<br>{{Small|as part of the [[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]]}} |93.68% |{{Composition bar|58|65|hex={{party color|People's Rally for Progress}}}} |{{increase}} 1 |{{steady}} 1st |{{yes2|[[Union for the Presidential Majority (Djibouti)|UMP]] coalition government}} |}
== See also == *[[Mohamed Dini Farah]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20191020021353/http://www.rpp.dj/ Official website (archived 20 October 2019)]
{{Djiboutian political parties}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Political parties in Djibouti]] [[Category:Parties of one-party systems]] [[Category:1979 establishments in Djibouti]] [[Category:Political parties established in 1979]]