Somalia launched a national voter registration effort on Sunday in the capital city of Mogadishu, marking significant progress in preparation for local elections scheduled for late June.
During the launch, Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, the chairperson of the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, announced that voter registration will commence on Tuesday, and citizens are encouraged to visit registration centres on that day.
This is the first time in almost fifty years that residents of Mogadishu will have the opportunity to go to registration centres.
In 2023, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud committed to transitioning Somalia away from its clan-based indirect voting system.
The cabinet has endorsed two legislative proposals to facilitate the transition of the Horn of Africa nation to a one-person, one-vote approach for presidential elections scheduled in 2026.
Opposition leaders, including former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, have opposed the government’s initiative, labeling it unilateral and hinting they might organise a parallel election.
The last election took place in 2022 following the 4.5 clan-based system, which distributed equal parliamentary representation to four major clans and a half-share to minority groups. Direct elections have not been conducted in Somalia since 1967.
