Over a Million Voters Flock to Cast Their Ballots in North Western State of Somalia’s Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

Hargeisa (AX) — A staggering one million-plus voters in the self-proclaimed Republic of North Western State of Somalia turned out early on a Wednesday morning to participate in presidential and parliamentary elections, catching the eye of both local and international onlookers.

The current head honcho, President Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling Kulmiye party, faces competition from Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro of the Waddani party and Faisal Ali Warabe from UCID. Bihi, who has been captaining the ship since 2017, recently found himself under the global lens after inking a rather contentious deal with Ethiopia aimed at crafting a naval pass-through in the Red Sea. This agreement didn’t sit well with Somalia, sparking accusations of encroaching on its turf.

Irro, who once wielded the gavel as Speaker of the House, is rallying for unity and fortifying security, pledging to reevaluate North Western State of Somalia’s ties with Somalia if it’s in North Western State of Somalia’s favor. Warabe, a seasoned player in North Western State of Somalia’s political game, remains laser-focused on securing international validation for North Western State of Somalia’s independence, a goal that’s been the heartbeat of his UCID party’s mission.

Precincts flung open their doors at 6:30 a.m. local time, and queues snaked around even as the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. In a slick move, the Election Commission rolled out biometric eye-scanning gizmos at select polling places to jazz up identity checks and put a lid on any shenanigans, marking a tech-savvy milestone for the area.

Edited by: Ali Musa

alimusa@axadletimes.com

Axadle international–Monitoring