Voting began across Somalia’s Galmudug State on Thursday as residents headed to polling stations to elect members of the Regional Assembly and the House of Representatives. Polls officially opened at 7:00 a.m. in all 11 designated districts, marking an important milestone in the state’s ongoing democratic process.
The elections were initially scheduled to take place earlier this month but were postponed twice following requests from political parties seeking additional time to prepare. Despite the delays, election officials confirmed that voting started as planned and proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere.
The Chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission, Abdikarin Ahmed Hassan, said polling stations opened on schedule and encouraged eligible voters to participate throughout the day. He noted that the electoral process was progressing according to plan in every district where voting was organized.
According to the commission, more than 200,000 registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots. Previous voter registration records showed 215,860 registered voters across the regions of Mudug and Galgadud, with men making up approximately 54 percent of registered voters and women 46 percent.
Election officials stated that registered voters could cast their ballots using either their voter identification cards or temporary voting certificates issued by the commission.
Security forces were heavily deployed across polling locations to safeguard voters and maintain public order. Authorities also introduced movement restrictions in some areas to ensure the voting process remained secure and uninterrupted.
The elections have drawn significant public and political attention as they form part of Somalia’s broader efforts to expand direct elections based on the one-person, one-vote model. Galmudug joins other federal member states that have already conducted similar elections under the country’s electoral reform agenda.
A total of 12 political parties nominated 369 candidates to compete for 89 seats in the House of Representatives, while 16 political parties presented 924 candidates for 243 seats in the Galmudug Regional Assembly.
Vote counting will take place after polling closes, with official results expected once district-level tallying is completed. The electoral commission has not yet announced a specific timetable for releasing the final results.
