Direct Elections Begin in Somalia’s Galmudug and Hirshabelle States

Direct elections for local legislative and municipal councils began Wednesday morning in Somalia’s Galmudug and Hirshabelle states.

Voting is being held under a “one person, one vote” system, allowing voters to directly choose their representatives in the two states.

The polls cover both local legislative bodies and municipal councils, placing two levels of representation before the electorate.

The elections mark a historic step for Galmudug and Hirshabelle, described as the first exercise of its kind in more than five decades.