Electoral Commission Clears 12 Groups for Galmudug Vote as September 30 Deadline Nears

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has announced that 12 political associations submitted candidate lists and required documents for the repeat elections of the Galmudug District Council and House of Representatives.

The deadline for submitting candidate lists was 12 September 2026. The Commission stated that associations that did not submit lists within the allotted time were assessed as not ready to participate in the repeat elections.

The Commission said the decision was based on compliance with electoral procedures and the timetable, and did not affect the legal status of registered political organisations.

Electoral Timetable

The repeat elections are scheduled for 30 September 2026, with campaigning set to close on 28 September. Political associations have been directed to submit their polling station representatives by 22 September, while accreditation of representatives and observers is scheduled for 26 September.

The elections follow the Supreme Court’s decision on 24 August 2026 to annul the results of Galmudug’s combined elections held on 30 July 2026. The court ruled that the elections were not conducted in accordance with Somalia’s Constitution and Electoral Law and that their results therefore had no legal validity. The Commission subsequently accepted the court’s ruling and prepared the timetable for the repeat elections.

Context

The 30 July elections were the second one-person, one-vote election held in a Somali federal member state. The Galmudug House of Representatives election was contested by candidates from various political associations, while local council elections also saw participation from numerous organisations.

The repeat election is therefore another stage in restoring the electoral process in Galmudug. However, the process has faced challenges. The Towfiiq Political Association, which brought the earlier dispute before the Supreme Court, rejected the timetable announced for the repeat elections, arguing that it did not comply with the National Elections Law and calling for the disbandment of the current electoral commission, as reported in FTL Somalia’s coverage of Towfiiq’s rejection.

Towfiiq was not included in the list of parties eligible to contest the repeat elections, a decision that has prompted criticism from the organisation. The Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) has launched its campaign for the repeat election, presenting Libaan Ahmed Hassan as its candidate for the Galmudug presidency.

Critical Note

The Commission’s announcement that 12 associations are ready to participate provides a measure of clarity after weeks of uncertainty following the Supreme Court’s annulment. But the process remains contested. Towfiiq’s exclusion from the list of eligible parties and its rejection of the timetable raise questions about whether the repeat election will be accepted as credible by all stakeholders.

The Supreme Court’s ruling placed the previous process under significant legal scrutiny. The credibility of the rerun will depend not only on when it is held, but also on who administers it and whether competing political actors trust the process. The Commission has proceeded with the timetable it set, but the exclusion of a party that successfully challenged the previous election in court is a development that will not go unnoticed.

With polling day less than two weeks away, the focus is shifting from the annulled July vote to whether the repeat election can proceed under the current timetable and within the legal framework outlined by the Supreme Court. The coming days will test whether the process can be completed without further legal or political disruption.