Somalia’s Mogadishu holds landmark municipal vote after decades

The vote in Mogadishu is intended to test the feasibility of direct elections ahead of nationwide polls expected in the coming years. Somalia last held direct elections in 1969, before a military takeover led to prolonged instability and, later, the adoption of an indirect, clan-based electoral system in 2004.

Under the current framework, clan representatives select members of parliament, who then elect the president. Municipal leaders, including Mogadishu’s mayor, have traditionally been appointed rather than elected. Thursday’s ballot allows residents to choose district council members, who will later select the mayor.

Election officials said about 1,605 candidates competed for 390 council seats across the capital. Security was tight, with roughly 10,000 personnel deployed, roads closed to traffic, and key facilities such as the airport and port temporarily shut. Long lines formed outside polling stations early in the day.

A law passed in 2024 restored universal suffrage ahead of federal elections expected next year. However, a political agreement reached in August provides that while lawmakers would be elected directly in 2026, the president would continue to be chosen by parliament. Some opposition groups have raised concerns about the pace of electoral changes and ongoing security risks linked to militant activity in parts of the country.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on the swearing-in of Army General Horta Nta Na Man as Guinea-Bissau’s transitional president after President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was removed.