Electoral Commission Says Towfiiq Did Not Apply For Galmudug Re-Run Election

GOOBJOOG NEWS|DHUSAMAREB: National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has said the Towfiiq political organisation was excluded from Galmudug’s re-run election because it did not formally apply to participate, rejecting suggestions that the decision was politically motivated.

NIEBC spokesperson Abdifatah Faisal Hussein said Towfiiq, led by Sheikh Shaakir, did not submit an official application expressing its intention to take part in the re-run.

He said the decision was based on the commission’s procedures and requirements governing political organisations seeking to participate in the election.

The exclusion is particularly significant because Towfiiq was at the centre of the legal dispute over Galmudug’s previous election.

On August 26, 2026, Somalia’s Supreme Court annulled the results of the Galmudug one-person, one-vote elections held on July 30, following a case challenging the electoral process.

Towfiiq had challenged its exclusion from the election, arguing that it had been prevented from participating despite having previously been registered as a political organisation.

The annulled election had covered 11 districts in Galmudug and included contests for the state assembly and local councils. The Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) emerged with the largest number of seats in the state assembly before the results were nullified by the Supreme Court.

The electoral commission is now organising the re-run in Galmudug, with political organisations seeking to contest required to comply with its registration procedures and other requirements.

The latest explanation comes as questions continue over Towfiiq’s participation in the re-run, particularly given that its exclusion from the earlier process formed a central part of the dispute that ultimately reached the Supreme Court.