Monday March 23, 2026
Baidoa (HOL) — Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has appointed an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, just a week after severing ties with Somalia’s federal government.
A presidential decree dated March 23, 2026, named a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary and additional members to the commission, which is expected to oversee the preparation and implementation of elections in Southwest State.
The establishment of the commission has drawn support from several federal lawmakers aligned with the Southwest administration. Former Speaker of the House of the People Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman welcomed the decision, describing it as “a legitimate and important step toward transparent elections” in the region.
A group of federal parliamentarians arrived in Baidoa on Sunday and showed solidarity with Laftagareen’s administration. Speaking to reporters, MP Aden Saran-Soor warned that current federal policies risk undermining national unity, citing previous disputes between Mogadishu and the administrations of Jubbaland and Puntland.
He said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has roughly 53 days remaining in his term and urged him to avoid steps that could trigger further political instability.
“The Southwest will not accept interference in its internal affairs,” Saran-Soor said, calling on opposition groups, including the Somali Future Council, to back the region’s stance.
Former Speaker Mursal, also in Baidoa, argued that resolving the crisis rests with stakeholders within Southwest State rather than in Mogadishu. He warned against the use of federal forces in regional political disputes, suggesting that such actions could have serious humanitarian and political consequences.
The federal government and Southwest State remain locked in a widening confrontation over the timing and structure of regional elections and the recently approved constitutional amendments, which extend the mandate of federal institutions from four to five years.
