BAIDOA, Somalia – Dr. Ali Said Fiqi was re-elected Saturday as the speaker of the Southwest State Parliament, securing a landslide victory in a vote held in the regional capital, Baidoa.
Fiqi, a veteran politician and key ally of the regional administration, won 67 votes, easily defeating his sole challenger, Diini Sheikh Hassan, who garnered only 11 votes.
A total of 80 lawmakers from Southwest’s third regional parliament participated in the session. The re-election of Fiqi is seen as a crucial step in the regional electoral process, as the assembly immediately shifted its focus toward the election of the state’s next president.
The vote took place under tight security as regional leaders and federal representatives monitored the proceedings, which are expected to shape the political landscape of the semi-autonomous region for the next four years.
