Mogadishu, Somalia – When the Independent National Electoral Commission (NIEC) is mentioned, most people immediately associate it with one-person, one-vote elections. However, this time, the commission has announced an indirect election to fill Seat H#248 in the House of the People.

On March 1, 2025, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Boundaries (NIEBC) formally announced its plan to hold a by-election to fill the vacant parliamentary seat, which was previously held by Sadak Omar Mohamed (Saadaq Joon).

This election will take place in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where clan delegates will elect the new Member of Parliament.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission, in fulfilling its national duty, hereby announces the election schedule for filling the vacant parliamentary seat H#248,” the commission stated in an official release.

The Electoral Commission confirmed that this election follows an official request from the Speaker of the House of the People, who formally requested that the vacant seat be filled. The election will be conducted in accordance with the 2017 Electoral Law, using an indirect voting system where traditional clan elders select delegates who will elect the new MP.

Election Process

The by-election is scheduled to take place between February 27 and March 8, 2025, during which the following steps will be carried out:

• Announcement of the election schedule
• Submission of the list of traditional elders responsible for selecting delegates
• Registration, verification, and training of delegates
• Registration of candidates and verification of eligibility requirements
• Supervision and training of delegates
• Election day for seat H#248

According to the Somali Constitution, when a parliamentary seat in the House of the People becomes vacant, the Speaker of Parliament formally announces the vacancy and submits it to the Independent Electoral Commissionfor replacement.

The replacement process follows the same electoral model used to elect the previous holder of the seat—an indirect election through clan-based delegates.