Dhuusamareeb, Somalia (WDN) — The Towfiiq Political Association, led by Sheikh Shakir Ali Hassan, has rejected the timetable announced for repeat elections to Galmudug’s local councils and House of Representatives, arguing that the schedule does not comply with Somalia’s National Elections Law.

Towfiiq was the political organization that brought the earlier Galmudug election dispute before the Supreme Court. The party says the court’s ruling, which annulled the contested election, makes it essential that the replacement process be conducted under credible and legally compliant conditions.

The latest dispute, however, goes beyond the election calendar. Towfiiq is also calling for the disbandment of the current electoral commission, arguing that the same officials who oversaw the annulled process should not be entrusted with running another electoral cycle.

What Towfiiq Is Claiming

According to Towfiiq, the timetable announced by unilaterally established Independent Electoral Commission by President Hassan schedules the repeat elections between September 10 and 30, leaving political parties and candidates insufficient time to complete the required electoral procedures.

The political association says the deadlines for candidate registration, submission of candidate lists and the campaign period do not provide adequate time under the National Elections Law.

Towfiiq has called on the commission to reconsider the timetable and align it with the statutory requirements governing registration, nominations and campaigning.

The organization also says the electoral commission itself should be dissolved and replaced. Its argument is that an institution whose previous electoral process ended with a Supreme Court annulment should not automatically be allowed to administer the replacement election.

Towfiiq has further called for an election that is transparent, free and fair, with equal preparation time and opportunity for all participating parties and candidates.

The significance of Towfiiq’s position extends beyond the number of days allocated to the electoral calendar. The central issue is institutional credibility.

A repeat election is intended to resolve a disputed electoral process. If the same institution whose administration of that process was challenged remains responsible for the rerun, questions about the credibility of the new election are likely to persist.

That does not, by itself, establish that the commission would necessarily repeat the problems of the previous election. But it creates a legitimate political question about whether a fresh electoral process should also involve a fresh institutional framework.

The Supreme Court’s annulment has already placed the previous process under significant legal scrutiny. The credibility of the rerun will therefore depend not only on when it is held, but also on who administers it and whether competing political actors trust the process.

The Risk of Repeating the Same Crisis

Towfiiq’s rejection creates another challenge for Galmudug’s electoral authorities. If the commission proceeds with the existing timetable and remains in charge, Towfiiq and other critics could continue to question the legitimacy of the process.

If the commission revises the timetable or agrees to broader institutional changes, it could help address some of those concerns—but could also delay an election that authorities are seeking to organize quickly.

The key question is therefore no longer simply whether Galmudug will hold a repeat election. It is whether the repeat election will be sufficiently lawful, credible and trusted to prevent another cycle of political and legal disputes.

Towfiiq’s position is unequivocal: an election annulled by the Supreme Court should not simply be rerun under the same institutional arrangements without addressing the failures that brought the original process into question.

Whether the electoral authorities accept that argument will be an important test of Galmudug’s ability to restore confidence in its electoral system.

WardheerNews