Somalia Residents Register to Vote for First Time in 56 Years

Historic Voter Registration in Mogadishu

• 💡 Hundreds of Mogadishu residents queued for hours to register to vote, marking a historic day for the capital.
• 📌 Many participants had never cast a ballot in their lifetime, as universal suffrage was last used in Somalia in 1969.
• 🎯 Young Somalis expressed great pleasure in witnessing this event, emphasizing their desire for a one-person, one-vote election.

Electoral System Reform in Somalia

• 🗳️ Somalia's current elections use a complex clan-based voting system that excludes a significant portion of the population.
• 🔑 The current president, elected in 2022 with only 327 ballots, has vowed to reform the electoral system.
• ✅ Last year, the government approved a proposal to move towards universal suffrage.

Upcoming Elections and Benchmarks

• 🗓️ Voter registration began Tuesday in Mogadishu and will be progressively rolled out across the country.
• 📈 These efforts precede local elections scheduled for June, which will serve as a benchmark for legislative and presidential polls in 2026.