Tuesday August 25, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Supreme Court on Monday annulled the results of last month’s disputed House of Representatives and local council elections in Galmudug State and ordered fresh elections.
Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed said the elections would be rerun because the conduct of the vote deviated from constitutional principles requiring free, fair and impartial elections.
Towfiiq Party Chairman Sheikh Mohamed Shakir Ali Hassan welcomed the ruling, saying the court had considered the party’s complaints about the election results.
“We filed a lawsuit. We were complaining about the results of the electoral commission,” Sheikh Shakir told BBC Somali. “We are grateful to the Supreme Court for showing confidence in all Somalis, and to the lawyers of Towfiiq who made the extra effort.”
Sheikh Shakir said the lawsuit was based on alleged violations of election procedures, which he said damaged the freedom and fairness of the vote.
“It is truly an issue that has touched all of Somalia, not just the Towfiiq organization,” he said. “It is a matter of hope for Somalis that has increased. The aspirations of all organizations have increased.”
He added that Towfiiq’s lawyers submitted audio, video and written evidence to support the party’s claims.
The Supreme Court said its decision was based on Somalia’s constitutional provisions and the country’s approved electoral law.
Towfiiq and other political organizations that took part in the elections had challenged the results, arguing that they were inconsistent with electoral laws.
The Towfiiq Party had rejected the official results of Galmudug’s first one-person, one-vote local council elections, accusing the Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission of manipulating the vote count and failing to reflect the will of voters.
The party said the commission undermined public confidence in the electoral process by announcing results that it claimed did not match tallies recorded by its representatives at polling stations.
The electoral commission had declared the ruling Justice and Solidarity Party, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the winner of the elections.
According to NIEBC Chairman Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, the Justice and Solidarity Party received 135,247 of the 193,451 valid votes cast, securing 63 of the 189 local council seats contested across Galmudug.
Towfiiq finished second with 26,003 votes and won 12 seats. Sincad secured six seats with 12,862 votes, while Karaamo won five seats after receiving 10,668 votes.
The electoral commission had not publicly responded to Towfiiq’s allegations or indicated whether it would review the results before the Supreme Court ruling.
- With files from the BBC Somali Service
