Southwest candidate withdraws from Baidoa vote, cites election agreement breach
He added that some lawmakers were seen with two phones, which he cited as proof that the deal had been ignored.
Wednesday June 10, 2026
Baidoa (AX) — In a dramatic turn on Wednesday, Southwest State presidential candidate Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden pulled out of the election in Baidoa, saying the process had been compromised by what he described as breaches of an agreement meant to safeguard ballot secrecy and the credibility of the vote.
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At a news conference, Sharif Hassan said he, the electoral commission and the acting president had previously agreed that lawmakers would not be allowed to take mobile phones into the election hall.
“The promise was broken. We agreed between me, the commission and the acting president that phones would be banned from the election hall, but today we were told that each lawmaker can bring their own phone inside,” Sharif Hassan said.
He added that some lawmakers were seen with two phones, which he cited as proof that the deal had been ignored.
“When the agreement was broken, I also withdrew from the election,” he said. “This is not an election. If even the documents agreed upon and signed have been broken, how can we trust the results?”
Sharif Hassan also argued that the polling station appeared one-sided, saying only candidate Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe and his supporters were present when voting was underway.
His withdrawal came as Southwest lawmakers cast ballots in Baidoa against a backdrop of growing concerns over transparency, ballot secrecy and alleged federal influence in the contest.
After Sharif Hassan stepped aside, only Madobe and Abdiasis Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawaari were reported to have shown up at the polling station.
On Tuesday, the Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission said lawmakers would not be allowed to enter the voting booth with mobile phones or similar devices, a measure it said was intended to protect the secrecy of the ballot.
The commission said the restriction was grounded in Articles 3 and 56 of Electoral Law No. 28-2024 and urged lawmakers to vote in secret and refrain from any conduct that could undermine the election’s integrity.
The vote is drawing close attention because its outcome is expected to influence both Southwest State’s political direction and its ties with the Federal Government of Somalia.
