The Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPECP) has released the official voter registration list for the region’s upcoming one-person, one-vote local government elections on Sunday evening.
According to the TPECP, 387,094 people have registered in 37 districts across the seven regions of the Puntland administration.
The Mudug region has the highest number of registered voters, with over 100,000 people registered.
The local council elections are scheduled for May 25, 2023, in 37 districts across Puntland. Although several politicians and political organizations oppose the elections, claiming it is an attempt to extend President Deni’s term.
In October 2021, tens of thousands of Puntland voters cast their ballots in three-direct local government elections, marking the first popular vote held in Somalia in over five decades.
If the elections proceed as planned, President Deni will become the first Puntland president to hold a one-person, one-vote election. However, it appears the clans still have the most power in the elections for President and Parliament.
Puntland’s former President, Abdirahman Faroole, was unable to hold a one-person, one-vote election due to the armed opposition’s disruption of the day set for the local government elections.
