Thursday April 17, 2025

Mogadishu (HOL) — The Governor of the Gedo region, Mohamed Hussein Al-Qaadi, has warned the country’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) against conducting any voter registration or election-related activities in the region, stating that doing so without coordination with the Jubbaland administration would be considered illegitimate and met with resistance.

Speaking to local media on Wednesday, Governor Al-Qaadi insisted that the electoral process must be based on consensus between the Federal Government and Jubaland State authorities.

“No elections will be held in the Gedo region without our agreement. I warn the Electoral Commission that if they proceed without coordination, there will be consequences,” Al-Qaadi said.

The warning underscores the unresolved political rift between the Jubaland administration and the Federal Government over electoral authority, constitutional amendments, and the framework for transitioning to direct elections.

The NIEBC had previously announced plans to conduct voter registration in several regions, including Gedo, as part of preparations for Somalia’s first one-person, one-vote elections since 1967, scheduled for 2026.

Registration officially began Tuesday in Mogadishu’s Shangani district, where residents turned out in large numbers to obtain voter ID cards. Senior federal and municipal officials, including the mayor of Mogadishu, were among the first to register.

The federal push to roll out universal suffrage seeks to replace Somalia’s longstanding 4.5 clan-based power-sharing system. Under the current model, parliamentary seats are distributed among four major clans and a collective “half-share” is allocated to minority groups.

Federal officials have not yet publicly responded to governor Al-Qaadi’s remarks.