Somalia’s Supreme Court has annulled the results of the recent parliamentary and local council elections in Galmudug, ordering the electoral commission to organise a fresh vote after finding that the process failed to comply with the country’s Constitution and electoral laws.
The ruling concerns the combined elections for the Galmudug House of Representatives and local councils held on July 30, 2026. The elections had been presented as an important step in Somalia’s transition toward direct, one-person, one-vote elections.
Chief Justice Baashe Yusuf Ahmed, who announced the ruling, said the court reached its decision after hearing the parties involved and reviewing the arguments and evidence presented before it.
According to the court, irregularities identified during the electoral process were serious enough to undermine the transparency, independence, freedom and fairness of the elections. The court concluded that the problems affected the outcome of the vote and therefore declared the results legally invalid.
The Supreme Court ordered the Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission to conduct new elections for both the Galmudug House of Representatives and local councils within the shortest reasonable period.
The commission was instructed to ensure that the new process complies with Somalia’s Federal Constitution, electoral legislation and the laws governing the electoral commission and political parties.
The ruling follows challenges to the election results from political organisations that participated in the vote. Among them was the Towfiiq Party, which rejected the announced results and accused the electoral commission of irregularities in the counting and reporting of votes.
Towfiiq argued that some of the results announced by the commission did not correspond with figures recorded by its representatives at polling stations. The party subsequently welcomed the Supreme Court ruling.
The decision does not immediately remove Galmudug’s existing authorities from office. The Supreme Court ruled that the current institutions should continue operating until new bodies are elected and formally take over.
The court said this arrangement was necessary to prevent an administrative vacuum that could disrupt government services and stability while preparations for the new elections are underway.
The ruling is significant beyond Galmudug. Somalia is in the middle of a wider and politically contested transition toward direct elections, replacing a system in which political representatives have largely been selected through indirect processes.
By invalidating an election because it failed to meet constitutional and electoral requirements, the Supreme Court has also placed greater scrutiny on how future direct elections are organised, counted and legally challenged.
The immediate focus will now turn to the electoral commission and how quickly it can organise a new vote. No specific date for the fresh elections has yet been announced. Until then, Galmudug’s existing institutions remain in place, while the July 30 election results are legally void.
