Thousands of voters turned out across Somalia’s Galmudug State on Thursday to participate in the state’s first-ever one-person, one-vote elections, marking a significant milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to transition from a clan-based indirect electoral system to universal suffrage.
Long queues formed outside polling stations in 11 districts, including the regional capital, Dhusamareb, as citizens cast their ballots to elect members of local councils and the Galmudug State Parliament.
According to Somalia’s National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), 267,420 registered voters are eligible to participate in the elections.
The parliamentary race has attracted 369 candidates representing 12 political organisations, who are competing for 89 seats in the Galmudug State Parliament. Among the candidates are 57 women and 312 men.
At the local government level, 924 candidates, including 198 women and 726 men, are contesting 243 local council seats under 16 political organisations.
Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, the highest-ranking federal government official observing the elections, visited several polling stations across Galmudug to assess the voting process. He praised election officials, security personnel, and residents for conducting the exercise peacefully and congratulated the people of Galmudug for exercising their constitutional right to vote in a democratic manner.
To maintain security throughout the election, the Galmudug administration imposed temporary curfews and movement restrictions in major towns. The measures exempted security forces, election officials, accredited journalists, and personnel directly involved in the electoral process.
Political observers say the elections represent another important step in Somalia’s broader democratic reforms, aimed at expanding direct elections across the country and gradually replacing the traditional indirect system based on clan representation.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Balcad Omar described the high voter turnout as evidence of the Somali people’s growing commitment to democracy.
“Long queues at polling stations across Galmudug send a clear message: Somalis want to participate in choosing their leaders. These images reflect a nation moving beyond elite-driven politics toward broader public participation,” he said.
He added that the elections demonstrate the growing democratic spirit taking root across the country, noting that the expansion of one-person, one-vote elections from Banadir and South West State to Galmudug is steadily reshaping Somalia’s political landscape.
The Galmudug vote follows similar direct elections held in other regions and is expected to further strengthen Somalia’s transition toward universal suffrage, with many viewing the process as a crucial milestone in building more accountable, representative, and democratic institutions.
If successfully completed, the elections will reinforce the federal government’s roadmap to expand one-person, one-vote elections across Somalia ahead of future national polls.