Thursday October 22, 2026
Dhusamareb (HOL) — Galmudug lawmakers elected Liibaan Ahmed Hassan as the regional state's new president on Wednesday, consolidating the Justice and Unity Party's (JSP) control of the administration following a disputed parliamentary election process.
Liibaan, who ran on the JSP ticket, secured 72 of the 89 votes cast, defeating Abdulkadir Abdullahi Diriye of the Sincad political organization, who received 14 votes. Three ballots were declared invalid, according to election results announced in Dhusamareb.
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All 89 members of Galmudug's newly elected parliament participated in the presidential vote.
Liibaan's 72 votes exceeded the JSP's 67 seats in the regional assembly, suggesting that he also secured support from lawmakers outside his party.
His election follows the JSP's victory in the Sept. 30 parliamentary elections, in which the party secured 67 of the 89 seats, giving it a commanding majority in the regional legislature.
The party also won all three parliamentary leadership positions, with Hussein Mohamed Nur elected speaker and Abdirisaaq Ahmed Ali and Mursal Abdi Adan chosen as first and second deputy speakers, respectively.
The presidential election comes after months of legal and political disputes over Galmudug's electoral process.
Somalia's Supreme Court annulled the July 30 parliamentary election results after identifying constitutional and electoral procedural violations, requiring authorities to conduct a fresh vote.
The rerun election was held Sept. 30, but the Towfiiq political organization, which had challenged the original results in court and secured their annulment, was excluded from participating.
The exclusion raised further questions about the inclusiveness of the electoral process.