FGS Says District Council Elections to Commence After Eid

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation has officially announced the timeline for the long-delayed elections of district commissioners and their deputies, marking a significant step in the country’s local governance transition.
The elections, which were expected shortly after the historic one-person-one-vote local council elections held in the Banadir region on December 25 last year, had faced months of delays. However, the ministry has now confirmed that the process will begin soon following the launch of a technical training programme for newly elected local council members.
Speaking during the opening of the training session, the Minister of Interior stated that the election of district leadership will commence immediately after the Eid holidays.
“Honourable members of the local councils, after this training, particularly after Eid, we will proceed with the elections of district leadership, where council members will elect the District Commissioner and their deputies,” the minister said.
He added that the elections are a key step toward completing the structure of local government institutions and strengthening decentralised governance based on democracy and accountability.
To address challenges that contributed to the delays since the December elections, the Ministry of Interior and the Electoral Commission have launched capacity-building programmes aimed at improving the administrative and governance skills of council members.
According to the minister, the training programme will continue beyond the current sessions and will focus on areas including municipal project planning and management, conflict resolution at the community level, legislative procedures for local councils, and strengthening relations between local administrations and residents.
The transition from interim district administrations to leaders elected by local councils is expected to play an important role in Somalia’s broader electoral process ahead of upcoming national elections.