By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Somalia, 13 December 2025 — Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, announced today that all upcoming national elections will be conducted using the new voter identification card currently being issued to citizens.
The President made the remarks in Warta Nabadda District in the Banaadir region, where he received his own voter card as part of the ongoing registration process. The cards will be used in the Banaadir local council elections scheduled for 25 December.
“Future elections will be conducted using the same voter card that is being issued now,” the President said, noting that the government and the electoral commission are working to build an integrated electoral framework that can be implemented nationwide.
He emphasized the importance of establishing a unified, transparent, and modern electoral system across the country as Somalia stabilizes.
The President praised the registration process underway in various parts of the Banaadir region, stating that the new system is critical for strengthening state institutions, ensuring voter rights, and building public trust in Somalia’s democratic processes.
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This year’s council elections are expected to be one of the most significant tests of Somalia’s long-awaited shift toward a one-person, one-vote electoral model, the first such attempt in more than 50 years—aside from Puntland’s local electoral experience. Districts in the capital are expected to be the first to pilot the new system.
The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has been distributing voter cards in Banaadir, and the chairperson of the Commission announced yesterday that nearly 200,000 people have already received their cards.
The President’s remarks come at a time when the Federal Government is pushing to implement a nationwide one-person, one-vote system, which it describes as central to Somalia’s political reform agenda and essential for long-term national stability.
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