MOGADISHU: Residents of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu will vote on Thursday in municipal elections meant to pave the way for the East African country’s first direct national polls in more than half a century.
With the exception of votes in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland and the breakaway region of Somaliland, Somalia last held direct elections in 1969, months before military general, Mohamed Siad Barre, took power in a coup.
After years of civil war that followed Barre’s fall in 1991, indirect elections were introduced in 2004. The idea was to promote consensus among rival clans in the face of an Islamist insurgency, although some Somalis say politicians prefer indirect elections because they create opportunities for corruption.
Under the system, clan representatives elect lawmakers, who then choose the president. The president, in turn, has been responsible for appointing Mogadishu’s mayor.
The vote in Mogadishu, a city of some 3 million people where security conditions have improved in recent years despite continuing attacks by Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabab militants, is seen as a test run for direct elections at the national level.
