Southwest president appoints regional election commission amid rift with Mogadishu

Monday March 23, 2026

Baidoa (AX) — In a fresh escalation of its standoff with Mogadishu, Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has moved to set up his own Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, a decision announced just one week after he cut ties with Somalia’s federal government.

Under a presidential decree dated March 23, 2026, Laftagareen appointed a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary and additional members to the commission, which is expected to steer both the groundwork and rollout of elections across Southwest State.

The announcement lands amid deepening friction between Baidoa and the federal capital, with the two sides at odds over constitutional amendments and the broader electoral framework. Southwest officials say the federal government has been inserting itself into the region’s political and security affairs, claims that Mogadishu has not formally addressed in detail.

Several federal lawmakers who align with the Southwest administration have rallied behind the commission’s creation. Former Speaker of the House of the People Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman welcomed the move, calling it “a legitimate and important step toward transparent elections” in the region.

A delegation of federal parliamentarians arrived in Baidoa on Sunday to demonstrate support for Laftagareen’s administration. Addressing reporters, MP Aden Saran-Soor cautioned that current federal policies could weaken national unity, pointing to earlier confrontations between Mogadishu and the regional administrations of Jubbaland and Puntland State.

Saran-Soor said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has about 53 days left in his term and urged him to avoid actions that could inflame tensions and push the country into further political uncertainty.

“The Southwest will not accept interference in its internal affairs,” Saran-Soor said, while appealing to opposition groups, including the Somali Future Council, to support the region’s position.

Former Speaker Mursal, also in Baidoa, argued that any path out of the current impasse should be charted by stakeholders inside Southwest State rather than dictated from Mogadishu. He warned against deploying federal forces in regional political disputes, saying such steps could carry serious humanitarian and political consequences.

The dispute between the federal government and Southwest State has continued to widen, centered on disagreements over when and how regional elections should be conducted and over newly approved constitutional amendments that extend the mandate of federal institutions from four to five years.