Mogadishu swears in 390 council members after first one-person, one-vote election

Friday April 3, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia on Thursday crossed a long-awaited threshold toward universal suffrage, with 390 newly elected members of the Banadir Regional Council sworn in at the Banadir Regional Court in Mogadishu. The ceremony marked the capital’s first one-person, one-vote local election in more than half a century.

The council members were chosen in December 2025 from Mogadishu’s 16 districts and represent 20 political parties, reflecting a notable break from Somalia’s traditional clan-based political system and the country’s slow, often difficult move toward broader electoral competition.

Senior government ministers, Banadir Regional Administration officials, traditional elders and religious scholars attended the swearing-in ceremony. Banadir Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungaab called the occasion a turning point in restoring political authority to ordinary citizens.

“Power has returned to the people,” Mungaab said, while congratulating both the electoral commission and residents of the capital. He also called on the new council members to act with integrity and help strengthen transparency and accountability at the local level.

Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, said the event carried historic weight.

“For the first time in more than five decades, Somalis have directly elected representatives who will serve at the local level,” he said, adding that the presence of women and youth among the council members showed political participation was widening.

Deputy Interior Minister Abdihamiin Ashkir underscored the central role of local councils, describing them as the level of government closest to the public. He said the newly sworn-in members would be responsible for overseeing essential services such as security, health, water and education.

The Banadir polls were the first major voting exercise conducted by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Federal authorities have presented them as a test case for the broader rollout of one-person, one-vote elections nationwide.

In December, Mogadishu residents voted in what officials described as Somalia’s first direct election since 1969. The process marked a sharp departure from the country’s indirect system, under which clan delegates choose lawmakers, and lawmakers then elect the president.

Even so, the elections drew heavy criticism. Opposition parties dismissed the process as flawed and one-sided, accusing the federal government of failing to build consensus or ensure transparency. Political tensions have also intensified in recent months between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and leaders of federal member states, especially Puntland State and Jubaland, over constitutional reforms and the future of the electoral system.

The Banadir vote did not include the selection of Mogadishu’s mayor, who also serves as Banadir governor. That post remains appointed because the constitutional status of the capital has not yet been settled, a matter that still requires national agreement.

Successive Somali governments have promised since 2016 to bring back universal suffrage, but insecurity, logistical hurdles and political disputes have repeatedly stalled those plans. Federal officials are now describing the Banadir elections as the first step in a wider effort to extend direct voting to other federal member states, including Southwest, Hirshabelle, Galmudug and the Northeast regions.