Thursday Dec 25, 2025 {HMC} Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has joined hundreds of thousands of Mogadishu residents in casting votes on Thursday, with polling stations opening since dawn for the capital’s first direct elections in nearly 60 years.
The local elections are a historic milestone in Somalia’s transition toward nationwide direct elections in 2026.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, voting in a direct election for the first time himself, was among the first to cast a ballot at the Warta Nabada district.
The high-stakes polls follow a massive voter registration campaign, with more than 1,600 candidates from 20 political parties vying for 390 local council seats across 16 districts.
