Somalia’s capital Mogadishu begins first one-person, one-vote local elections in over 50 years

Mogadishu launches first one-person, one-vote municipal polls in more than 50 years

Thursday December 25, 2025

MOGADISHU — Voting began Thursday morning across all 16 districts of Mogadishu in the Banadir Regional Local Council elections, marking the capital’s first one-person, one-vote balloting in more than half a century.

Thousands of residents formed early lines at neighborhood polling stations, underscoring the historic nature of the vote in Somalia’s largest city. Election officials said turnout was steady as polls opened and materials and staff were in place districtwide.

Abdikarin Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC), said approximately 480,000 Mogadishu residents have received voter registration cards, making them eligible to cast ballots on Thursday. He added that the commission trained 5,200 election workers and deployed them across more than 500 polling stations throughout the Banadir region to support the process and resolve issues as they arise.

“We have prepared personnel and resources to ensure the smooth conduct of the process,” the chairman said in remarks shared by the commission, noting that the agency would monitor operations at the precinct level throughout the day.

The vote proceeds despite an opposition boycott. Somalia’s main opposition groups had earlier announced they would not participate, describing the exercise as “government-driven” and lacking broad political consensus. Some opposition politicians argue that the country’s ongoing political challenges cannot be solved by a one-person, one-vote system at this stage, citing strained relations between the federal government and key federal member states, including Puntland State and Jubbaland.

The Banadir poll is being closely watched as a measure of administrative readiness and public confidence in direct balloting. The city has not held such a vote in decades, and the return to individual suffrage represents a significant procedural shift. Election officials emphasized logistics — from trained staff to the distribution of materials — as central to maintaining order and credibility at the more than 500 sites in operation.

Across the capital, the contours of the day were visible from the early hours: voters queuing at school courtyards and community centers, local administrators directing foot traffic, and election workers checking registration cards before escorting voters to the booths. Organizers said staffing plans included contingencies to address bottlenecks and ensure polling stations remained open and functional.

The opposition’s boycott adds a political backdrop to the proceedings. Critics contend that without fuller buy-in from major stakeholders and clearer agreement on the broader federal-state framework, even a well-executed poll could struggle to deliver durable legitimacy. Supporters of Thursday’s vote argue that building trusted electoral routines at the local level is a necessary step in strengthening institutions and expanding participation.

As voting continued, the commission urged residents with registration cards to head to their nearest polling sites and follow instructions from election staff. Authorities did not immediately outline a timetable for preliminary results on Thursday, focusing instead on keeping lines moving and ensuring that eligible voters were able to cast ballots before polls close.

Regardless of political differences, the day marked a rare civic moment in Mogadishu: an electorate turning out, identification in hand, to make a choice — one person, one vote — for the first time in more than 50 years.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.