Dr. Mohamed Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed was declared the winner in the by-election for House of Parliament seat HOP#086 which was recently vacated by the Minister of Education, Farah Abdulkadir. The temporary election committee of Somalia has announced that Mohamed has emerged as the unanimous winner, as his opponent, Abdirisaq Bukhari Ahmed, withdrew from the race. The delegates of Reer Aw Hassan awarded all 98 votes to Mohamed.
Although HOP#086 represents a constituency in Beledweyne, the by-election was held in Mogadishu. Election organizers cited security concerns in Hirshabelle amidst the ongoing military offensive in the region.
On Tuesday, candidates vying for the seat held a press conference in Mogadishu and requested Prime Minister Hamze Abdi to manage the election, alleging gerrymandering and fraud.
Abdinur Mohamed Ahmed, former President Farmajo’s Director of Media and Communications and Deputy Chief of Staff, announced his candidacy earlier this month and believes that his senior position in the former Farmajo administration has made him a target for retaliation. He and other candidates claimed that election officials blocked them from registering for the poll.
Elections for HOP#086 have long been embroiled in controversy. Somalia’s former spy chief Fahad Yasin won the seat last February in Beledweyne. However, FEIT, led by Muse Gelle, suspended the results, citing electoral fraud. Yasin appealed to the Supreme Court to secure his seat, but the high court eventually ruled against him.
Despite the rumours of Fahad Yasin joining the lower house of parliament, the speaker confirmed in December 2022 that he would not become an MP.
