Mogadishu (AX) — Hirshabelle Vice President Yusuf Hagar Dabageed says elections in Hiiraan cannot proceed until local stakeholders reach a political agreement and establish broad consensus.
Addressing a gathering of Hawadle elders and politicians in Mogadishu on Friday, Dabageed said Hirshabelle’s electoral process must involve political leaders, traditional elders, civil society organisations and other relevant groups.
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He said there could be no election “even in a single village” in Hiiraan without mutual agreement among the parties.
“The current electoral process in Hirshabelle could not continue in its present form and that anyone attempting to hold elections without a political settlement would bear responsibility for the consequences,” he said.
His warning comes as tensions intensify over Hirshabelle’s leadership transition and the Hawadle community’s role in the region’s upcoming election.
Dabageed has accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of abandoning a pledge that the Hawadle clan would lead Hirshabelle after the next election. The state’s current president, Ali Abdullahi Hussein Gudlawe, belongs to the Abgaal community.
Earlier this month, the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission issued a revised timetable for simultaneous local council and House of Representatives elections in Hirshabelle State, scheduling voting for Sept. 30, 2026.
The commission said the revised calendar supersedes an earlier timetable released on July 25, which had set election day for Aug. 20.
Under the updated schedule, the registration committee is due to begin its work, while voter cards are scheduled for distribution on Sept. 16.
Candidate lists for the House of Representatives and district councils are to be submitted and verified on Sept. 17.
The final voter register is expected to be published on Sept. 19, ahead of polling on Sept. 30.
