Galkayo, Galmudug – Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi has called on citizens nationwide to enroll for the upcoming elections, stressing that broad participation is vital to reclaiming the nation’s long-denied democratic rights.
After collecting his voter card at a National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) center in Galkayo, Fiqi stated that the registration process enables Somalis to select leaders who truly represent their communities at district, state, and federal levels.
Fiqi described the moment as “historic,” observing that generations of Somalis have gone without voting in a direct election for more than five decades.
“Elections are a constitutional right absent from the people for 56 years,” he said.
“Today, that right has returned to Somalia’s citizens. I urge every Somali, wherever they may live, to register and determine their own future,” Fiqi added.
He emphasized that widespread public involvement underpins the one-person-one-vote system the government intends to establish, adding that national advancement relies on citizens engaging in the democratic process.
