Politics

Southwest State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen hails Banadir’s peaceful one-person, one-vote local elections, calling them a major milestone in Somalia’s democratic transition and a signal for broader direct polls.

Voting is underway across Mogadishu in the Benadir Regional Council elections, with 20 parties competing in a rare direct local vote that will shape district councils and influence the city’s mayor.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud voted in Mogadishu’s Benadir Regional Council elections, the country’s first direct local polls since 1969, seen as a key test of Somalia’s democratic recovery.

Benadir Regional Council elections began at dawn in Mogadishu, marking a historic first for the Somali capital and its regional administration. The vote is a key step in local governance.

Kenya will host the 2026 Africa–France “Africa Forward” Summit in Nairobi, following AU and French consultations, underscoring renewed diplomatic, trade and development engagement between African states and France.