Somalia to launch Banadir district commissioner elections after Eid al-Adha holiday

Sunday May 24, 2026

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that elections for district commissioners in the Banadir region will begin after the Eid al-Adha holiday, with newly selected local council members voting for district leaders and their deputies.

Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh announced the plan during a training program for new local council members in Mogadishu. He said the elections are part of efforts to complete a democratic and accountable local government system in the capital.

“After this training, especially after the holiday, district leadership elections will be held, where council members will elect the district governor and his deputies,” Hosh said.

The minister said the process is intended to strengthen local governance and create a system that better represents residents.

Hosh said the training for local council members will continue beyond the current workshop and will include technical instruction on district administration, project planning, social services and local council procedures.

Abdikarin Ahmed Hassan, chairperson of the Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission, said the first phase of the training will focus on legal frameworks governing local councils and political organizations. Those frameworks were recently approved by the Council of Ministers.

The federal government has been pushing to establish local councils and elections in Banadir as part of a wider effort to expand public participation and strengthen governance.

The plan comes amid broader national debate over Somalia’s political transition and the government’s push toward one-person, one-vote elections. Opposition leaders have accused the federal government of moving ahead without sufficient consensus, while government officials say direct and local elections are necessary to make institutions more representative.