Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi welcomed Somalia’s first direct Benadir Regional Council elections since 1969, calling them a historic step for state-building, stability and broader public participation.
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.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says the Benadir Regional Council elections in Mogadishu mark a historic shift from indirect rule to direct, constitutional voting, testing wider one-person, one-vote reforms.
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.
