Mogadishu: Residents of Mogadishu voted on Wednesday in landmark local elections that mark Somalia’s first major move toward restoring universal suffrage after more than five decades.
The vote allows ordinary citizens to directly choose members of district councils in the capital, replacing the long standing clan based system where leaders were selected by elders and delegates. For many voters, it was the first time in their lives they had cast a ballot.
Election officials said nearly one million people were registered to vote across hundreds of polling stations in the city. More than 1,600 candidates contested around 390 council seats. The elected council members will later choose the mayor of Mogadishu.
The elections are widely seen as a test case for future nationwide polls planned for 2026. If successful, similar voting could be extended to other parts of the country, including parliamentary elections under a one person one vote system.
Security was tight throughout the day, with thousands of police and soldiers deployed to protect polling stations amid threats from the militant group al Shabaab. Authorities temporarily closed some roads and restricted movement around key areas, but voting proceeded without major incidents.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described the vote as a turning point for the country, urging citizens to participate peacefully and calling the process an important step in rebuilding democratic institutions after decades of conflict and political instability.
Somalia last held direct elections in 1969 before the military takeover and the collapse of the central government in 1991. Since then, power sharing has largely followed a clan based formula that many Somalis say excludes ordinary citizens from decision making.
Despite the optimism, challenges remain. Some opposition groups have raised concerns about the pace and inclusiveness of electoral reforms, while security risks and political disagreements between the federal government and regional states continue to pose obstacles.
Still, long queues at polling stations and the calm atmosphere across Mogadishu reflected strong public interest in shaping the country’s future through the ballot box, offering a rare moment of hope in Somalia’s long journey toward stable democracy.