Somalia’s electoral officials have announced a plan to hold long-awaited local council elections in Mogadishu.
They said voter registration will begin on April 15 in the capital, with the aim of holding the elections in June.
If implemented, residents of Mogadishu will have the opportunity to elect their own local leaders for the first time in decades.
This follows a national agreement reached last year between the federal government and most regional state leaders.
However, Said Deni of Puntland and Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland boycotted the election talks due to political tensions.
They have also challenged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s push for full nationwide elections.
Last year, Madobe held his own indirect election in Jubaland, defying the president’s efforts to unify the process.
Just last week, President Mohamud invited regional leaders to a national consultative forum scheduled for May 1–2 in Mogadishu.
Madobe was excluded from the invitation due to his ongoing political standoff with the federal government.
Tensions escalated last November after Madobe rejected Mohamud’s call for a unified electoral process.
In response, President Mohamud deployed federal troops to Raskamboni, a town under Madobe’s control in the Lower Jubba region.
Madobe viewed the deployment as a threat and mobilized his own forces, retaking Raskamboni within 15 days.
Since then, relations have deteriorated. It remains unclear whether Mohamud will compromise and lead Somalia into an indirect election.
Now, President Mohamud finds himself facing similar resistance as his predecessor, locked in a political battle with both Madobe and Deni.
