Sunday May 10, 2026
Baidoa (HOL) — Voters in Somalia’s Southwest State began casting ballots Sunday in direct elections for the regional House of Representatives and district councils, marking a major step away from the country’s long-running indirect electoral model.
The voting was held across 13 districts in Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions.
Speaking to reporters in Baidoa, the chairman of the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Abdikariin Ahmed Hassan, formally declared the start of the unified elections.
The polls are intended to fill seats in the South West State House of Representatives and local councils, marking one of the most extensive direct voting exercises held at the regional level in Somalia.
For the House of Representatives, 394 candidates from 15 political organizations are contesting seats. They include 322 men and 72 women.
For local councils, 1,297 candidates from 18 political organizations are running across the 13 districts. They include 1,022 men and 275 women.
Election officials said the coordinated rollout was designed to strengthen direct democratic governance at the local level, replacing earlier systems in which political representatives were often selected through indirect arrangements involving clan elders and political brokers.
The vote, however, has drawn criticism from opposition groups. The Somali Future Council, one of the country’s main opposition alliances, boycotted the election, saying the process lacked consensus.
The opposition accused the federal government of manipulating the process and claimed the results were predetermined. Federal and regional election officials have not publicly accepted those allegations and have presented the vote as part of Somalia’s broader transition toward direct elections.
The South West State election comes amid wider national disputes over Somalia’s electoral framework, constitutional changes and the future role of political parties. Those disagreements have deepened tensions between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government and opposition leaders, who have accused the administration of pushing through major political changes without sufficient agreement.
