Wednesday April 8, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — A political dispute has erupted over the election of seat HOP204 in Somalia’s House of the People after incumbent lawmaker Isaaq Ali Subag said the vote was conducted while he was still legally serving and had not resigned.
The indirect election, held Tuesday in Baidoa, declared Minister of Ports and Maritime Transport Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur Jama the winner after he secured 96 votes from delegates. The result has sparked debate over whether the seat was lawfully declared vacant and whether parliamentary procedures were properly followed.
He said he received his parliamentary salary as recently as March, which he argues confirms his continued status as a lawmaker. Subag also alleged that he had faced pressure to vacate the seat in favor of Minister Nur, including financial inducements.
“I was not offered a fixed amount, but I refused all attempts to buy my resignation,” he said.
Subag, who has also served as a minister in Southwest State since 2023, dismissed claims that his regional executive role justified replacing him at the federal level. He noted that several federal lawmakers hold positions in regional administrations. He said he plans to challenge the election in court.
Supporters of the Baidoa vote argue that Subag’s absence from two consecutive parliamentary sessions justified declaring the seat vacant under attendance rules. They contend that parliamentary bylaws permit action in such circumstances.
Subag countered that the relevant provisions of the provisional constitution and parliamentary procedures were not properly applied before the seat was declared open.
The electoral commission and the federal government have not yet commented on the lawmaker’s accusations.
The dispute has widened after a group of federal lawmakers issued a press release rejecting the Baidoa election as illegal. They said the process violated Article 59 of the provisional constitution and undermined parliamentary governance.
“This issue threatens the country's democratic process and demonstrates that constitutional institutions are being used for personal gain,” the statement said.
The official current term of the House of the People is due to expire April 14 2026. Although a recently approved constitutional amendment extends the mandate by one year, that extension has been rejected by Puntland, Jubbaland and several opposition figures.
Minister Nur is reportedly considering a bid for Speaker of the House of the People, while current Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe is said to be weighing a run for the presidency of Southwest State. Minister Nur declined to comment when asked about his interest in the speakership.
The situation echoes a similar case last year when lawmaker Dr. Abdullahi Hashi Abiib lost his seat after missing two consecutive sessions. At the time, Speaker Madoobe cited violations of attendance rules, while Abiib, a critic of the government, said security threats prevented his return to Mogadishu.
