Ismail Omar Guelleh of the RPP stood in the presidential election held on April 9, 1999, as the joint candidate of the RPP and FRUD, receiving 74.02% of the vote."Proclamation du Président de la République de Djibouti par le Conseil Constitutionnel." , Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti . Prior to the election, Abatte Ebo Adou, a FRUD parliamentary deputy, announced that he would stand as a presidential candidate and was expelled from FRUD as a result."Djibouti: Flap in FRUD", Indian Ocean Newsletter, No. 839, 2 January 1999 (cited in "Djibouti: Political opposition parties (This Response replaces an earlier version dated 13 January 1999.) ", Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (UNHCR Refworld), DJI31018.FE, 1 February 1999).
