Mogadishu (AX) – Somalia’s Supreme Court has overturned last month’s elections for Galmudug’s House of Representatives and local councils, ordering authorities to conduct the polls again.
Chief Justice and Supreme Court President Justice Bashi Yusuf Ahmed announced the ruling, saying the organization and management of the elections had departed from the constitutional requirements for a free, fair and impartial vote.
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The court said the irregularities identified were substantial rather than minor, severely damaging the transparency, freedom and fairness of the elections and influencing their outcome.
“The Supreme Court therefore annulled the results of the July 30, 2026, elections and ordered the Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) to hold new elections for the Galmudug House of Representatives and local councils,” Bashi said.
The court instructed the commission to organize the repeat elections at the earliest opportunity and to comply fully with Somalia’s Federal Constitution, Electoral Law, Law on the Establishment of Committees, and Law on Political Parties and Organizations.
It also ruled that the current institutions must continue operating until their successors are lawfully elected, a measure intended to prevent an administrative vacuum from affecting public services and stability in Galmudug.
The judgment followed a challenge brought by the Towfiiq Party and other political groups that participated in the elections and argued that the results violated electoral legislation.
Towfiiq had rejected the official outcome of Galmudug’s first one-person, one-vote local council elections, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating the count and failing to represent voters’ wishes.
The party argued that the NIEBC had weakened confidence in the process by releasing results it said differed from the tallies documented by its polling-station representatives.
The commission had announced that the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, won the election.
NIEBC Chairman Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan said JSP captured 135,247 of the 193,451 valid ballots, giving it 63 of the 189 local council seats contested throughout Galmudug.
Towfiiq placed second with 26,003 votes and took 12 seats. Sincad won six seats from 12,862 votes, while Karaamo secured five seats with 10,668 votes.
Before the Supreme Court issued its ruling, the electoral commission had not publicly addressed Towfiiq’s accusations or said whether it planned to examine the results.
