Tuesday August 4, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — A meeting between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Hawadle traditional leader Ugas Yusuf Ugas Hassan Ugas Khalif and senior politicians has placed the question of Hirshabelle’s next president at the center of national political discussions.
People familiar with the talks said President Hassan Sheikh had asked Hawadle leaders last week to reach consensus on one candidate from their community for the upcoming Hirshabelle presidential election.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, however, the leaders reportedly agreed to give the president authority to select the community’s candidate, according to the sources.
The talks, held at the presidential palace, followed multiple rounds of consultations between the president and Hawadle representatives over the succession in Hirshabelle.
The reported understanding forms part of a wider political arrangement under which the next Hirshabelle president will come from the Hawadle community. The state’s outgoing leader, Ali Abdullahi Hussein Guudlaawe, belongs to the Abgaal community.
Such agreements reflect the power-sharing model that has influenced Hirshabelle politics since the state’s formation, as political leaders work to preserve clan balance in choosing regional officials.
Guudlaawe, who became Hirshabelle’s third president in November 2020 after winning 86 of 99 votes in the regional assembly in Jowhar, has not publicly addressed the reported deal.
It is still uncertain which candidate will secure the backing of the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), headed by President Hassan Sheikh, in the Hirshabelle presidential contest.
The JSP has expanded its political influence in recent months by consolidating control over Southwest State and recording a decisive victory in Galmudug’s first one-person, one-vote local elections. As Somalia’s federal political system continues to shift, observers expect the party to have a major role in shaping Hirshabelle’s next leadership.
Neither the presidency nor Hawadle leaders had released an official statement on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting.
