Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has agreed to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate last month’s elections for Galmudug State’s House of Representatives and local councils.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the commission said it would implement the ruling in line with the Constitution and its electoral regulations.
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“Recognising the constitutional mandate of the Supreme Court, the supremacy of the law and the settlement of electoral disputes through the judicial process provided under Article 73 of the National Electoral Act—which grants the Supreme Court authority to hear and determine electoral matters—the Commission accepts the decision of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Somalia concerning the contested Galmudug State elections,” the statement said.
The NIEBC said it would set and publish a new date and timetable for elections to Galmudug’s local councils and House of Representatives, to be held simultaneously.
Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed said the organisation and conduct of the polls had departed from constitutional standards requiring elections to be free, fair and impartial.
The court said the violations it identified were substantial rather than technical, undermining the elections’ transparency, freedom and fairness and influencing their outcome.
The case was brought by the Towfiiq political organisation, which took part in the Galmudug elections.
Towfiiq Party Chairman Sheikh Mohamed Shakir Ali Hassan welcomed the judgment, saying the court had taken the party’s objections to the election results into account.
The Supreme Court’s decision came after Towfiiq and other political organisations challenged the polls, alleging that the Galmudug elections had breached electoral laws and established procedures.
