Somalia Conducts Its First Direct Election in More Than 50 Years
A new beginning is ahead for Somalia as citizens went to polls on Tuesday to vote the country’s first direct local election in over five decades.
Long lines had already formed outside polling stations as early as 9:00 a.m., signifying a keen level of public excitement for the historic voting process.
As stated by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) of the country, polling stations have opened in all 16 districts of the Benadir region, with 523 polling stations opened in the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu.
This election is the country’s first direct election in over 50 years, where Somalis will elect their local lawmakers using universal suffrage. Somalia’s last direct election took place in 1969, six months before military general Mohamed Siad Barre led a coup to gain control of the country.
The electoral commission stated that a total of 918,890 voter cards had been printed, of which 503,916 had been collected by registered voters prior to the election day. Chairperson of the NIEBC Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan commended the large turn-out of voters in the election process, saying that it demonstrated the citizens’ level of confidence in it.
He gave assurances that the commission is committed to ensuring a free, fair, and transparent election despite security and logistics challenges that have characterized the nation in the past.
Preliminary election results are expected within 48 hours. Analysts consider the elections an important milestone on Somalia’s long journey towards stable governance and democratic system consolidation, having escaped the challenges of conflict and political instability for decades.