By - Reporter
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GAROWE, 26 October 2026 Somalia’s Puntland region rejected the federal government’s plan for elections in 2027 as unacceptable and a threat to the Somali state, its president said on Sunday, urging Somalis to come together to save the country’s statehood.
Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni made the remarks as he opened the 59th session of the regional House of Representatives in Garowe.
Deni said the type of election announced on 15 Oct belonged to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud alone. He described it as a “misguided ambition” that posed a serious threat to the existence of Somalia’s Third Republic.
The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced on 15 Oct that elections for both houses of parliament would be held on 15 April 2027, and a presidential vote on 15 May 2027. The opposition has rejected the timetable.
He said Mohamud had refused to hold an agreed election and had worked to undermine every round of talks. He also said everything that had been agreed, most recently the 2012 provisional constitution, had been set aside.
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Deni accused the federal leadership of carrying out drone attacks on officials who had served the country and of working to destabilise peaceful areas. He also said troops and funds obtained in Somalia’s name were being used to destroy the country and loot public property. He said Mohamud and anyone who worked with him bore responsibility. Deni did not give details of the incidents.
He said Puntland forces had cleared the region of a militia that he said Mohamud had tried to use to disrupt security in Puntland.
Deni called on all Somalis with a stake in the country to come together quickly to rescue Somali statehood.
He acknowledged that the setbacks in Somalia’s state-building process had left some people in Puntland frustrated. He pledged not to take any decision unworthy of them and said Puntland would hold real consultations on the crisis.
The federal government did not immediately respond to Deni’s remarks.