Presidential elections were held in
Djibouti for the first time on 12 June 1981. Earlier in the year, the country had been declared a
one-party state with the
People's Rally for Progress as the only legally permitted party.[1] RPP leader
Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had been president since independence in 1977,[2] was the sole candidate on the ballot, and was re-elected with 84.58% of the total votes cast.[3]