Somalia’s main opposition coalition has sharply rejected the Banadir Regional Council elections scheduled for Thursday in Mogadishu, calling the process neither free nor fair and warning it could deepen political instability in the capital and beyond.
The Somali Salvation Forum, an alliance of prominent opposition figures, accused the federal government of engineering a one-sided vote designed to entrench power rather than expand democratic participation.
Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the elections lack constitutional grounding and fail to meet even basic democratic standards. He pointed to the dramatic collapse in participation as evidence of a flawed process. While 61 political organizations initially registered to compete, fewer than 20 remain, he said, after many concluded the outcome was effectively predetermined.
According to Khaire, political actors who attempted to engage in good faith were pushed out once it became clear that the process favored a single political camp aligned with the presidency.
He accused authorities of repressing dissent and intimidating critics, arguing that the environment surrounding the vote resembles a one-party system rather than a competitive political contest. Khaire also questioned the independence of the Somali Electoral Commission, alleging it operates as an extension of the executive branch instead of a neutral arbiter.
Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed echoed those concerns, emphasizing the unique political sensitivity of Mogadishu’s status as the national capital. Decisions affecting the city’s governance, he argued, require broad political consensus rather than unilateral action. Subjecting the capital to what he described as a “scam election,” imposed without dialogue, risks undermining its legitimacy and fueling further polarization.
Sheikh Sharif warned that an election lacking buy-in from key political stakeholders could trigger disputes along political and clan lines, producing results that large segments of society would reject. Such an outcome, he said, would do little to strengthen governance or stability at a time when Somalia faces pressing security, economic, and humanitarian challenges.
He added that the resources devoted to the Banadir elections would have been better spent addressing national priorities with wider public support.
In a joint statement, opposition leaders said the process underway does not constitute a legitimate election and accused the government of using it to justify an unconstitutional extension of political authority. They stressed that Somalia’s provisional constitution clearly limits political mandates to four years, warning that any attempt to bypass those limits threatens the country’s fragile political order.
Taken together, the opposition’s objections underscore a familiar fault line in Somali politics: the struggle between centralized control and inclusive consensus-building. Whether the government proceeds unchanged or reconsiders its approach may shape not only Mogadishu’s governance, but the credibility of Somalia’s broader political transition.
