Baidoa – Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has been re-elected for another five-year term following a vote held on Saturday in Baidoa, the interim administrative capital of the regional state.
According to the electoral commission, Laftagareen secured 66 votes, defeating his rival Abdullahi Haji Hassan, who received 13 votes. The election takes place amid heightened political tensions between the Southwest administration and Somalia’s federal government.
In his acceptance speech, Laftagareen thanked lawmakers and electoral officials for organizing the vote under challenging circumstances.
“I thank the members of parliament who elected me and the electoral commission for organizing the elections in difficult times and under many circumstances. I ask God to make me one who preserves unity and peace in the southwestern regions,” he said.
Two weeks prior, the Southwest leader accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of blocking regional elections since 2022. “In September 2022, all regional state leaders were present at the National Consultative Council meeting. I requested that we hold elections. The president told us that we would not hold elections, but that they would be merged,” Laftagareen said.
Federal government leaders have not yet issued an official response to the election.
Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo congratulated Laftagareen, emphasizing the importance of democratic processes in strengthening federal institutions.
“The elected leadership of the Southwest State is tasked with accelerating reconciliation among its people, completing the liberation of areas under terrorist control, and developing essential public services,” Farmaajo said in a statement.
He added that timely elections in federal member states are vital to political stability and the consolidation of Somalia’s federal system.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also welcomed the outcome, congratulating both Laftagareen and the re-elected Speaker of the Southwest Parliament, Dr. Ali Said Fiqi.
“The Southwest election has eliminated political uncertainty within the administrative institutions,” Sharif said, urging other regional administrations with expired mandates to organize elections promptly.
He also cautioned President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against pursuing political solutions through force, warning that such actions could deepen mistrust and fuel instability.
Laftagareen’s re-election comes amid an escalating standoff between Mogadishu and the regional states of Southwest, Puntland, and Jubbaland. The dispute centers on constitutional amendments approved by Somalia’s federal parliament, which extend the mandates of federal institutions from four to five years. The three administrations have also suspended ties with the federal government, accusing Mogadishu of interfering in their political and security affairs.
