By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Mogadishu (Dawan Africa) Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Mohamed said the ongoing election campaign in South West State reflects an increasingly open political environment marked by public participation and visible electoral competition.
In a post on X, the minister contrasted the current campaign atmosphere with the indirect political system previously used in the state, describing the difference as “day and night.”
“What we are witnessing now is competition, public engagement, and genuine electoral momentum,” the minister wrote.
The minister said it was significant to see political figures including former South West President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, former Speaker Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe, Abdulaziz Jawari, and other prominent politicians openly campaigning and holding public rallies.
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“This is politics moving into the open, where citizens can see, compare, and decide,” the minister added.
The remarks come as South West State witnesses heightened political activity ahead of planned one-person, one-vote elections expected to take place on Saturday to elect local councils and members of the state assembly.
The elections form part of Somalia’s broader efforts to expand direct electoral participation after years of indirect voting systems based on clan representation and negotiated political arrangements.