Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Defying security fears and an opposition boycott, voters in Somalia’s capital cast ballots on Thursday in the country’s first large-scale, one-person-one-vote local elections in decades, a milestone the federal government is holding up as proof it can revive universal suffrage after years of clan-based selection and indirect voting.
Long queues snaked around polling stations across the city’s 16 districts as voters participated in the “one-person, one-vote” poll, a critical test for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s pledge to dismantle the country’s clan-based power structures ahead of national elections in 2026.
Authorities deployed more than 10,000 security personnel to blanket the capital, enforcing a strict ban on vehicle movement to ward off threats from Al-Shabaab insurgents.
The government also closed the international airport, the seaport, and major businesses—an immense logistical operation designed to project state control in a city often defined by its fragility.
Despite warnings of violence, the voting passed largely without incident, with polls closing at 6:00 p.m. local time.
“This is a new dawn for us,” said one voter waiting near the National Theatre, where President Mohamud and First Lady Qamar Ali Omar later cast their ballots.
“After 50 years, we are finally choosing who cleans our streets and manages our neighborhoods.”
By the numbers
The scale of the operation was unprecedented for modern Somalia. According to the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), more than 900,000 registered voters were eligible to participate across hundreds of polling stations.
A total of 1,605 candidates from 20 political organizations competed for 390 district council seats.
Under the current framework, these elected councilors will eventually choose the mayor of Mogadishu, giving the contest significant political weight beyond mere municipal administration.
President Mohamud hailed the turnout as a vindication of his administration’s roadmap.
“Today, the people of Mogadishu have proven they own their government,” Mohamud said after voting. “We are moving from a system of selection to a system of election.”
Senior officials, including Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, visited polling centers in the Shangani, Bondhere, and Hamar-Jajab districts. Barre described the vote as a shared responsibility to “protect transparency and respect voters’ choices.”
Opposition rejection
While the government declared victory, the political fallout was immediate and biting. Fahad Yasin, the country’s controversial former intelligence chief, issued a blistering critique of the President, accusing him of rewriting history to suit a narrow agenda.
In a statement released shortly after the polls closed, Yasin dismissed the Mogadishu vote as “one person, one force” (Qof iyo Qasab) rather than “one person, one vote,” arguing the process was legally flawed and limited to a single city.
“President Hassan’s speech last night showed excessive joy and boasting,” Yasin said. “I was amazed that he never mentioned Puntland or Somaliland, two administrations that implemented fully legitimate elections with consent.”
Yasin, a key figure in the previous administration, accused the President of hypocrisy for celebrating a “damaged” process in the capital while previously opposing similar electoral efforts in the Puntland and Somaliland regions.
The rejection in Mogadishu follows a high-stakes opposition summit in Kismayo last week, where the standoff over the vote hardened into a potential constitutional crisis.
Leaders from the semi-autonomous states of Jubaland and Puntland joined federal opposition figures to issue a stern ultimatum: if the President does not return to consensus-based politics by January 20, they vowed to initiate a “parallel electoral process” to prevent a power vacuum.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed reinforced this stance on Wednesday, dismissing the capital’s vote as a strategic maneuver intended to delay the inevitable end of the administration’s term.
“A governor is not being elected, and we do not accept the term extension the government wants,” Ahmed said, characterizing the election as a “waste of time.”
The opposition views Thursday’s poll as a test run for the federal government to dismantle the traditional clan-based power-sharing model in favor of a majoritarian system; they claim the executive branch is manipulating the poll.
Security and discipline
On the ground, security remained the day’s primary concern. Tensions flared early on when opposition MP Abdiladif Muse Nur (Sanyare) posted a warning on Facebook alleging that militants were planning to target crowds at polling stations.
Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi issued a stinging rebuke from a polling station, accusing the lawmaker of fear-mongering to sabotage turnout.
“The chains of fear have been broken,” Fiqi told reporters. “Those who threatened the public—whether terrorists or politicians predicting doom—have failed.”
Authorities moved swiftly to enforce discipline within their own ranks as well. Banadir police arrested a soldier, identified as Mohamed Ali Abdi, after a video circulated online showing him assaulting a civilian in a voting queue.
Macallin Mahdi, the Banadir regional police commander, confirmed the officer was in custody and pledged immediate accountability. “Authorities will not tolerate any violation of a citizen’s dignity,” he said.
Public reaction
Public reaction on the streets mirrored the sharp divide among the elite. For supporters, the day was a long-overdue triumph.
“This is a major victory for the Somali people and the true beginning of direct elections,” said Abdow Abdi, a resident of Mogadishu.
Others, like Abukar Amey, viewed the high turnout as a defiant message to the city’s detractors: “Congratulations to the people of Banadir. You have won this morning, and your enemies are feeling anger and resentment.”
However, the opposition’s boycott cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the process.
“This election is a drama loaded to one side, where the President is the main actor,” said Hussein Ahmed, a local observer. “How far can it really go?”
Yet, the appeal of universal suffrage cut across some partisan lines. Yahya Hassan, a voter in the capital, offered a nuanced view common among residents tired of the elite bargaining that has defined Somali politics since the state’s collapse.
“I do not support the President’s politics,” Hassan said. “But I say thank you to him for implementing one person, one vote.”
The 2026 roadmap
The vote is widely viewed as a pilot for dismantling the “4.5” clan-based power-sharing model. However, the path forward is complex.
The federal government hopes a successful vote in Mogadishu will pressure recalcitrant opposition figures and federal member states to accept the new electoral model.
Under a political agreement reached in August between President Mohamud and some opposition leaders, the country plans to hold direct parliamentary elections in 2026.
However, under the compromise, parliament would still select the president rather than a direct public vote—a concession critics argue preserves elite bargaining at the top while expanding voting only at the lower levels.
As counting began on Thursday evening, attention turned to the certification of results and potential legal challenges. But for residents like Nur Haji Ibrahim, the day offered a glimpse of a different future.
“I see a sign of great peace and progress,” Ibrahim said. “We pray for success.”
