Somalia Lower House Speaker arrives in Baidoa to oversee Southwest elections

Tuesday March 31, 2026

Baidoa (AX) — Somalia’s Speaker of the House of the People, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madoobe, landed in Baidoa on Tuesday as federal authorities moved to steer preparations for presidential and local council elections in Southwest State, one day after federal forces seized control of the city.

Accompanying the speaker are Minister of Religious Affairs Mukhtar Robow and Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh, both of whom are expected to be key figures in shaping a new regional administration after the resignation of former Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

Madoobe is set to hold meetings with cabinet members, military commanders and representatives from different segments of society during the visit. Those talks are intended to guide the political transition in Southwest State and speed up the electoral timetable.

The trip comes after federal government troops and allied forces took over Baidoa on Monday following fighting with regional security units loyal to Laftagareen. The former president stepped down soon after, opening the door to an interim leadership arrangement.

Officials in Mogadishu say the goal is to re-establish constitutional order and bring Southwest State into line with the federal government’s wider electoral plan, which calls for direct elections and a shift toward a one-person, one-vote system.

Southwest State has become a flashpoint in an escalating political standoff between Mogadishu and several federal member states over constitutional amendments that would extend the terms of federal institutions from four years to five. Southwest, Puntland State and Jubbaland rejected the changes, accusing the federal government of overreaching its authority.

How Southwest State manages the next phase of its electoral process is expected to carry weight well beyond the region, shaping the national argument over Somalia’s federal system and the future of its voting model.