Dhuusamareeb —(WDN) – Galmudug presidential candidate Liibaan Axmed Xasan (Liibaan Shuluq) has publicly accepted the Supreme Court’s decision to annul the recent parliamentary and local council elections in Galmudug, saying his political party, JSP, has also accepted the ruling.

Liibaan Shuqul, a businessman and qat trader, had been widely portrayed as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s undisputed candidate for the Galmudug presidency, even before a vote was cast. However, his change of position and the acceptance of the election’s rejection have raised questions, particularly given his earlier opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision and his apparent expectation that he would win the election.

Liibaan urged the people of Galmudug to respect the court’s decision and return to the polls when a new election is organized, calling on voters to participate in even greater numbers than before. “The people of Galmudug participated in the previous election in large numbers, and we are now asking them to come out again and vote in even greater numbers,” he said.

His acceptance of the ruling, however, does not revive or legitimize the annulled election. The Supreme Court’s verdict remains decisive: the previous vote was declared invalid after the court found that the electoral process had not been conducted in accordance with the Constitution and national electoral law.

The ruling therefore leaves the disputed election without legal standing, regardless of how individual candidates or political parties characterize or accept its outcome.

The court’s decision also places the focus firmly on what must change before Galmudug votes again. A credible election will require more than simply returning voters to polling stations; it will require an electoral process that is lawful, transparent and capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny. For now, the annulment stands, and the next election must begin from a legally sound foundation rather than attempt to reproduce a process that the Supreme Court has already rejected.

Nevertheless, given President Hassan’s track record of clinging to power and seeking to install his political allies in the leadership of the Federal Member States, there is little public confidence that the election will be free and fair.

WardheerNews