MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s electoral commission said Wednesday it has accepted a Supreme Court ruling ordering a rerun of the Galmudug municipal and regional parliamentary elections held on July 30, after the court found irregularities in the vote that it said could not be corrected.
The commission said it had reviewed the Supreme Court’s August 24 decision and accepted its obligation to comply with the ruling, the law and the principle of the supremacy of law, describing the legal process as the proper means of resolving electoral disputes arising from the results.
The commission said it would announce a new timetable for the Galmudug elections at a later date.
The decision follows an announcement by Somalia’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, Bashe Yusuf, who said this week that the Galmudug elections must be held again. The court had received complaints from some of the parties that participated in the elections, alleging fraud, irregularities and vote-rigging.
After considering the complaints, the court found irregularities that it determined could not be corrected and consequently nullified the outcome, paving the way for a rerun.
The ruling has triggered sharply divided reactions across Somali political circles.
Some have alleged that the Supreme Court decision is part of an effort by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government to demonstrate to the international community that elections conducted and administered by the government are transparent and that electoral disputes can be addressed through the country’s legal institutions.
Others have described the decision as a positive step toward strengthening the rule of law, with some comparing it to England’s Glorious Revolution as an example of a broader advance in the authority of law and institutions.
The electoral commission has not yet announced a date for the new Galmudug vote. It said the timetable would be issued later.
The rerun will follow the Supreme Court’s determination that the irregularities identified in the July 30 election could not be corrected, putting the conduct and administration of the next Galmudug vote under renewed attention as Somalia moves to implement the court’s decision.
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