MOGADISHU — Somalia’s electoral commission said on Sunday it will deploy nearly 5,000 polling staff to voting centres on December 25 to oversee the capital’s long-awaited “one person, one vote” election in the Banadir region.
Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission, said the staff — most of them young people — had undergone training on election administration, staff duties, voters’ rights and procedures to ensure a transparent and fair vote in line with national laws.
“The Banadir election has a special significance and could play a major role in shaping Somalia’s democratic trajectory,” Hassan said, adding that election workers were central to building public trust in the electoral process.
He urged staff to uphold neutrality, fairness and professional ethics, and to treat all political parties and election observers equally on polling day.
“The responsibility you carry on election day will directly affect public perceptions of future elections,” he said, calling on workers to facilitate voting, organise queues and ensure fairness for all contestants.
The federal government, based at Villa Somalia, has insisted on pushing ahead with direct elections as part of broader democratic reforms. However, opposition groups have criticised the process, arguing it is neither fair nor feasible under current political and security conditions.
Somalia is seeking to transition from an indirect clan-based system to universal suffrage after decades of conflict and political instability.
