JSP Wins Landslide Majority in Galmudug Election

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia’s National Electoral Commission has announced the results of the combined local council and regional parliamentary elections held across 11 districts of Galmudug State.

A total of 149,475 voters took part in the election, which was contested by 12 political organisations, according to figures released by the commission.

Of the votes cast, 146,894 were declared valid, representing 97.27%, while 2,581 votes, or 1.73%, were rejected.

The election included contests for 89 seats in the Galmudug House of Representatives and 243 local council seats.

The Justice and Stability Party (JSP) emerged with the largest share of the popular vote, securing 105,716 votes, equivalent to 71.97% of valid votes, according to the commission.

JSP also won the largest number of local council seats, taking 179 of the 243 seats, or 73.66% of the total.

The Sincad political organisation secured 17 local council seats, making it one of the other groups to gain a notable share of the seats announced in the results.

The results provide an early indication of the distribution of political support across the 11 districts that took part in the election, with JSP accounting for the overwhelming majority of both votes and local council seats.

The elections were held as part of Somalia’s continuing transition towards a system in which citizens directly elect their representatives, following years in which political leaders were selected through indirect electoral arrangements.

The Galmudug vote was also a repeat election after Somalia’s Supreme Court annulled the results of the July 30 election, citing violations of constitutional and electoral procedures.

The latest results are expected to determine the composition of the local councils and contribute to the formation of the Galmudug House of Representatives.