Mogadishu (AX) — Elections for Hirshabelle’s House of Representatives and local councils will not go ahead on Thursday, Aug. 20, after Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced a temporary postponement.
The commission said the delay would give election officials time to complete essential preparations for the polls.
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In a statement issued Thursday, the commission said voter registration remained underway in four districts in the Hiiraan region, preventing the elections from proceeding as scheduled.
It added that political organizations required additional time to mobilize supporters and ensure they were ready to take part fully in the electoral process.
The commission also cited the need for political organizations to submit their candidate lists for both the House of Representatives and local council elections.
The Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission said it would publish a revised timetable and announce a new polling date within two weeks.
The postponement comes as Somalia works to broaden direct elections and increase public participation in governance following decades in which indirect voting systems dominated the country’s political process.
The commission urged political organizations, electoral stakeholders and Hirshabelle residents to rely on its official announcements for updates on the revised election schedule.
