Liban Ahmed Hassan Elected Galmudug President in Landslide Win Against Opponents

GOOBJOOG NEWS:DHUSAMAREB: Galmudug lawmakers have elected Liban Ahmed Hassan as the state’s new leader, with the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) candidate securing 72 of the 89 votes cast.

According to results announced following vote counting, his challenger, Abdulkadir Abdullahi Diriye of Sincad, received 14 votes, while three ballots were declared spoiled. Liban briefly addressed the assembly after his victory, thanking lawmakers for electing him and expressing appreciation to his competitors.

The result gives Liban a decisive victory in the parliamentary election held in Dhusamareb, Galmudug’s administrative capital.

His tally exceeded JSP’s reported parliamentary strength of 67 seats by five votes. The party emerged with a substantial majority following September’s repeat parliamentary election.

Liban’s election follows final campaign speeches on Wednesday, when candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency presented their priorities to lawmakers. Security, reconciliation, public services, infrastructure and youth employment featured in their pledges.

The leadership transition comes after a contested electoral process. Somalia’s Supreme Court annulled the July 30 parliamentary election over constitutional and procedural violations, leading to a September 30 rerun. Towfiiq, the political organisation whose court challenge prompted the annulment, was excluded from the repeat vote.

The vice-presidential contest pits JSP’s Abdiweli Ibrahim Garyare against Sincad’s Abdisatar Mohamed Geelle. Its result was not available at the time of writing.