Mahdi Gulaid 1st MP to be selected to Somalia’s next parliament

Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled has been elected to Somalia’s incoming 11th Parliament. He is the first representative to be selected through Somalia’s indirect voting system.

Incumbent Bihi Iman Egeh retained his seat.

Guled defeated Mushtaq Ibrahim Yusuf for seat HOP239 by receiving 97 votes, while Yusuf received three votes.

Guled was initially meant to challenge incumbent Hussein Arab Essa.

Bihi Iman Egeh received 91 votes to defeat Abdirahman Hassan Ismail for the second seat, who got nine votes.

Elections for Somalia’s Lower House of Parliament began on Monday morning in Mogadishu.

The elections are being held at the General Kahiye Police Academy in Hamar Jajab district.

Candidates will contest one more seat before the day’s end.

MP-hopefuls will be selected by 101 delegates who recently completed a training course in Mogadishu on Sunday, a spokesman for the regional electoral commission of Somaliland confirmed.

The election is overseen by observers, the Federal Electoral Commission members, and the Dispute Resolution Committee.

Security at the polling station was heightened for election, with extra police deployed at various checkpoints throughout the district.

Prime Minister Mohamed Roble visited the election site on Sunday for a preliminary inspection.

The PM urged Somalia’s regional member states to expedite what has been a slow electoral process.

“I am pleased that the election of the House of the People has officially started for us today. I urge the states to begin holding Parliamentary polls as soon as possible, and I hope that the electoral process is a success.”