Monday April 20, 2026
Jowhar (HOL) — Hirshabelle State President Ali Abdullahi Hussein Guudlaawe has ordered his cabinet to speed up preparations for Somalia’s planned one-person-one-vote elections, urging greater public participation even as political divisions and security concerns deepen around the process.
President Guudlaawe called on officials to intensify voter awareness efforts and strengthen administrative readiness ahead of the proposed polls. He also encouraged residents of Hirshabelle to engage actively in the electoral process, framing it as a key step toward expanding democratic participation in Somalia.
“Elections are one person, one vote, and the party is the JSP,” Guudlaawe said.
Last week, the National Electoral Commission announced that elections for the House of Representatives and local councils in Southwest State will be held on April 28, 2026, while Galmudug and Hirshabelle will go to the polls on May 13, 2026.
The push in Hirshabelle comes as the federal government continues to promote a nationwide shift toward direct elections, a system Somalia has not implemented for decades due to conflict, clan-based power-sharing arrangements and weak state institutions.
Security preparations have also intensified in Jowhar, the administrative capital of Hirshabelle. The federal government has deployed additional troops to the city, officials said, to secure areas designated for voter registration and electoral activities. Authorities have not disclosed the size of the deployment, but the move reflects growing concern over potential unrest linked to the electoral process.
However, Puntland and Jubbaland regional administrations, along with opposition political actors, have rejected the federal government’s approach, arguing that it is being pursued unilaterally without broad consensus.
They say Somalia lacks the security guarantees, political agreement and institutional capacity needed to conduct nationwide direct elections. Critics also accuse the federal leadership of delaying consensus-building efforts while continuing with electoral preparations that they view as politically driven.
Despite the opposition, federal authorities continue to present the one-person-one-vote model as a cornerstone of Somalia’s democratic transition, though significant political and logistical obstacles remain.