For the first time since 1969, Somalia has launched voter registration in its capital, Mogadishu, marking a significant step toward universal suffrage ahead of the country’s 2026 presidential elections.
On Tuesday, citizens queued in the Shangani district to register and collect their voting cards, according to an AFP correspondent. Somalia plans to hold local elections in June 2025 using the one-person, one-vote system—a major shift from its complex clan-based indirect voting model.
“Citizens in Mogadishu have begun registering to vote and collecting their voting cards, marking a significant stride towards universal suffrage,” Information Minister Daud Aweis said on X.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had pledged to end the indirect system, pushing for electoral reforms through legislation approved by Parliament last year.
Since dictator Siad Barre seized power in 1969 and direct voting was abolished, Somalia’s political system has revolved around clan representation. After Barre’s fall in 1991, the country plunged into decades of conflict and instability.
In 2023, the semi-autonomous region of Puntland successfully held local polls through direct voting but later reverted to the clan-based system for regional leadership elections. Meanwhile, Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 but remains unrecognized internationally, has consistently used direct voting.
Despite ongoing challenges, including an Islamist insurgency and natural disasters, Somalia’s move toward direct elections is seen as a hopeful step in its long journey toward stable governance.
