MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition National Salvation Council today strongly criticised the planned local council elections in the Banadir region, due to be held in Mogadishu on Wednesday, describing them as neither free nor fair and accusing the government of pursuing a one-party agenda.
Former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said the planned vote was tilted in favour of one side and not grounded in the country’s constitutional framework or democratic principles.
“From the outset, 61 political organisations registered, but fewer than 20 remain today after others realised the process serves a specific plan benefiting a single party,” Khaire said.
“Anyone who participated in good faith came to understand this was not an open competition, but a one-party-driven system. Those who speak out or tell the truth face intimidation and arrest,” he added, accusing the electoral commission of acting under the influence of the presidency rather than as an independent body.
Former president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also rejected the process, saying Mogadishu’s status as the capital should not be subjected to what he called a “looted” and non-consensual election.
“A genuine election can only happen when groups with differing views agree on the process,” Sheikh Sharif said, warning that the current approach could fuel political tensions, social divisions and clan rifts, and produce results that would not be accepted.
He added that the time, power and financial resources spent on the vote should have been directed toward initiatives better serving the national interest.
In a joint statement, the National Salvation Council said the developments in Mogadishu did not amount to a legitimate election but rather a process driven by specific political objectives, including what it described as an attempt at term extension.
The opposition bloc said such a move was unacceptable, stressing that Somalia’s constitutional mandate for government is limited to four years.
