Somalia launches first direct election campaigns in 57 years

Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission launched campaign activities for local council elections in four federal member states on Tuesday, February 24, in what officials describe as a historic step as the country prepares for a presidential vote.

Somalia has not held a direct one-person, one-vote election since 1969, the year Siad Barre led a coup and went on to rule for twenty years.

Barre’s military government collapsed in 1991, and Somalia’s repeated efforts to organise an election have been scuttled by security problems or lack of political will.

Until now, the president has been elected indirectly by lawmakers chosen through a clan-based power-sharing formula.

Completed assessments

The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said preparations for the polls in South West, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, and North East states had been completed following a series of technical and assessment missions.

In a statement to political parties, the commission urged that campaigns be conducted in compliance with electoral laws and regulations.

The commission’s chairperson, Abdikarim Ahmed Hasan, earlier announced the printing of voters’ cards across the federal member states had begun, signalling that logistical preparations for the local council polls were entering their final phase.

“The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to the country’s electoral laws,” the statement read.

The latest announcement follows a landmark vote held on December 25 in the Banaadir region, where local council elections were conducted for the first time in 57 years.

The exercise in Banadir, which includes the capital, Mogadishu, was widely described by authorities as a breakthrough in Somalia’s efforts to restore direct elections after more than five decades.