Overview
- Authorities deployed more than 10,000 security personnel, shut Mogadishu’s main airport, and restricted movement as voting proceeded across 16 districts.
- About 1,605 candidates contested 390 district council seats at 523 polling stations, with roughly half a million registered voters and results expected Friday.
- Key opposition parties, including the Somali Future coalition, boycotted the polls, calling the process flawed and one-sided, while former leaders publicly questioned its legitimacy.
- Puntland and Jubaland rejected the federal framework and threatened to run their own electoral processes if no consensus is reached.
- The vote follows a 2024 law restoring universal suffrage and an August deal keeping presidential selection in parliament for 2026, as al-Shabab’s threat and strained peacekeeping funding raise doubts about nationwide polls.