Somalia’s Northeastern lawmakers head into decisive vote in Las Anod amid allegations of federal interference
LAS ANOD, Somalia — Lawmakers in Somalia’s newly formed Northeastern state are set to choose a president and vice president on Saturday, a pivotal test for a region still finding its feet after a violent, bruising year and a political moment that could ripple far beyond the dusty streets of Las Anod.
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The vote, expected to unfold in rounds through the day, features ten contenders — five for president and five for vice president — who have been courting the state’s assembly members since late Friday. Behind the handshakes, community meetings and late-night huddles lies a familiar feature of Somali politics: money. Multiple candidates and local observers say hundreds of thousands of dollars have been marshaled to sway the outcome, a sum that would place this contest squarely within the country’s hard-edged tradition of indirect elections, where influence often travels in cash-filled envelopes.
The frontrunner and the alliances
At the center of this race is Abdikadir Ahmed Ali Firdhiye, the former interim leader of SSC-Khatumo — the administration that took shape after local fighters wrested control of Las Anod and surrounding areas from North Western State of Somalia forces last year. Firdhiye holds momentum, officials and community figures say, thanks to name recognition and an image as the interim steward who kept the lights on while authorities sketched a path forward. But even front-runners are vulnerable under Somalia’s consensus politics, where coalitions form fast and loyalties can pivot between rounds.
Several candidates have signaled they may coordinate to block a Firdhiye victory in a final-round showdown, according to lawmakers familiar with the discussions. Such maneuvers are not unusual in a system where power-sharing is shaped by clan calculations, personal networks and promises of future posts. The federal government in Mogadishu has not been a visible presence on the ground — but its shadow looms over the race.
Contenders on the ballot
The ballots will list the following candidates:
- Presidential: Abdikadir Ahmed Ali Firdhiye; Rashid Farah Mohamud; Abdirisaq Khaliif Ahmed; Jamaal Mohamed Hassan; Mohamud Yusuf Hassan
- Vice-presidential: Omar Dahir Hassan; Abdirashid Yusuf Jibriil; Abdirisaq Mohamed Jama; Abdisatar Sheikh Osman Omar; Mohamed Abdi Bulaale
Among them are veteran administrators and former national officials, a mix that reflects the region’s needs: to consolidate security, establish services and find a coherent voice within Somalia’s federal structure.
Money, influence and the neutrality question
Opposition candidates accuse the Federal Government of Somalia of tilting the field for Firdhiye, alleging that operatives are leaning on lawmakers and sweetening the path with cash. “The government’s interference undermines the credibility and transparency of this election and could derail the process of forming a viable administration,” one candidate told local media. Mogadishu has not responded publicly to the charge.
Vote-buying allegations are a recurring feature of Somali politics, where indirect elections — chosen by lawmakers rather than the public — have long been criticized by civil society and reform-minded politicians. A 2021 study by local watchdogs found candidates in national parliamentary races spent sums that would dwarf most government salaries for years. The practice distorts representation, critics say, and hardens cynicism among younger Somalis who came of age dreaming of one-person, one-vote elections that have remained out of reach due to insecurity and political disputes.
Why Las Anod matters
Las Anod’s ballot is not just another provincial vote. The city was the epicenter of fierce fighting in 2023 between local forces allied to SSC-Khatumo and North Western State of Somalia troops. The conflict displaced tens of thousands, shuttered shops and schools, and left painful scars on a population that had long straddled contested political identities. A year later, the promise of a functioning regional administration — with a president and vice president chosen through a peaceful process — carries symbolic weight.
Globally, the world has seen similar transitions in fragile settings from eastern DR Congo to Yemen’s south, where local governance experiments have sought to fill security vacuums and deliver services. Success hinges on whether these authorities can earn legitimacy through transparency and results, not just battlefield victories or political horse-trading. For Las Anod, today’s vote is a step toward that legitimacy test.
Security and the street-level mood
Residents say they want calm above all. Las Anod’s markets are open again, and traffic squeezes around tuk-tuks and livestock. But the city has not forgotten the boom of artillery that shook its neighborhoods. As lawmakers gather, there is an undercurrent of unease — a fear that a contested outcome could reignite tensions or invite spoilers. The political logic is straightforward: a credible process dampens grievance; a murky one can inflame it.
The onus, therefore, sits with the state assembly and the candidates to keep their supporters in check, and with federal leaders to avoid any move that deepens suspicion. The federal government has argued in other regional contests that stability and national cohesion require its engagement. The line between engagement and interference, though, remains stubbornly blurry in the eyes of many voters.
What’s at stake after the vote
The newly elected leadership will inherit a heavy to-do list:
- Stitching together a professional security architecture that answers to civilian authority
- Standing up basic services: health clinics, schools and road repairs
- Negotiating revenue-sharing and authority with the federal government and neighboring regions
- Rebuilding trust with communities divided by last year’s fighting
They will also need to navigate Las Anod’s geopolitics — balancing relations with Mogadishu, courting aid and investment, and dealing with the unresolved question of North Western State of Somalia’s claim over the broader area. These are delicate files that demand sober administration and a long view beyond today’s vote counting.
A broader test for Somalia’s federal project
Somalia’s federal experiment has been uneven and often turbulent. Yet it remains the framework within which the country seeks to rebuild from decades of state collapse and insurgency. Each state-level election adds a piece to the puzzle: Will federalism deliver accountable, effective governance, or will it devolve into factional mini-states that bargain for spoils in Mogadishu?
That question hangs over Las Anod today. As lawmakers filter into the chamber, Somalia’s friends and skeptics alike will watch for signals: transparency in the balloting; measured reactions from winners and losers; and a swift pivot from campaign rhetoric to governing. The presence or absence of heavy-handed outside influence will be another bellwether.
By nightfall, Las Anod may have a new president and vice president — names etched into a ledger of promise and peril. The real measure, though, will be what comes next: whether a battered city sees its leaders govern with restraint and purpose, and whether a new state finds its footing in a country still learning how to share power and build trust, one fragile vote at a time.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
