elections

Somalia begins counting votes after Mogadishu’s landmark one-person, one-vote poll Mogadishu — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on Thursday night said ballot counting is underway after polls closed across the capital for the Banadir Regional Council elections, the city’s first one-person, one-vote ballot in more than five decades. Commission Chairperson Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan told national media that voting ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time and proceeded calmly and in an orderly manner…

MOGADISHU — The Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi, has welcomed the direct elections for the Banadir Regional Council, calling the vote a historic milestone and the first of its kind in Somalia since 1969. In a statement issued Thursday, Al-Yamahi said the Mogadishu ballot represents a significant step in Somalia’s state-building process, strengthening democratic governance and citizenship while widening public participation in decision-making. He said the direct elections are expected to deliver…

MOGADISHU — Presidents of Galmudug, Hirshabelle, the Northeastern Somali Administration and South West State on Friday hailed the peaceful conduct of the Banadir Regional Council’s direct elections, calling the Mogadishu vote a historic milestone for Somalia’s democracy. In separate statements, the four federal member state leaders — all members of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) — praised the exercise as a major national achievement and a victory for the Somali people, underscoring…

Somali president urges turnout as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote local polls in more than 50 years MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday night urged Mogadishu residents to fully participate in Thursday’s one-person, one-vote local council elections, calling the vote a milestone in the country’s state-building and democratic recovery as polls opened across the capital’s 16 districts. In a nationally televised address, Mohamud framed the elections as a defining moment in the restoration of…

Somali capital holds first direct elections in 57 years MOGADISHU — Voters in Somalia’s capital cast ballots Thursday in municipal elections billed as a pivotal step toward the country’s first nationwide direct vote since 1969, underscoring a gradual shift away from two decades of indirect power-sharing. The East African nation last held direct elections shortly before Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in a 1969 coup. Following Barre’s ouster in 1991 and years of civil war, Somalia adopted an indirect electoral system in 2004…

Somalia’s 2026/2027 elections: a state-saving blueprint, not a power struggle Somalia is approaching a constitutional cliff with the 2026/2027 electoral cycle. There is no agreed framework, no final roadmap and little time before current mandates reach their limits. The risk is not only delay, but paralysis: a vacuum that invites fragmentation, corrodes institutions and erodes public trust. The imperative now is to treat the coming vote as a state-saving exercise — designed to preserve legitimacy, not simply to deliver…

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…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s main opposition coalition, the Somali Salvation Forum, on Thursday condemned the Banadir Regional Council elections scheduled in Mogadishu, calling the process neither free nor fair and accusing the government of staging a one-party vote. Speaking at a press conference in the capital, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the planned Banadir elections lack constitutional grounding and fail basic democratic standards. He argued that what began as a competitive process had narrowed to a lopsided…

Somali opposition denounces Banadir council vote as one-party exercise Somali Salvation Forum says Thursday’s Mogadishu election lacks constitutional basis, warns of unrest MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s main opposition coalition, the Somali Salvation Forum, has condemned the Banadir Regional Council elections scheduled for Thursday in Mogadishu, calling the process neither free nor fair and accusing the government of engineering a one-sided contest. At a press conference in Mogadishu, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s civil aviation regulator will shut Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport for a full day on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, as the capital holds local council elections, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority said Monday. The SCAA said no flights will arrive or depart during the one-day closure, describing the suspension as a security and technical measure designed to safeguard the public and ensure the vote proceeds smoothly. Airlines, passengers and travel agencies were advised to adjust plans and…