JSP secures all three Galmudug parliamentary leadership positions

Dhusamareb (HOL) — Galmudug State lawmakers elected Hussein Mohamed Nur as speaker of the regional parliament on Sunday, securing all three parliamentary leadership positions for the Justice and Unity Party (JSP).

Hussein received 79 votes, defeating Ismail Abdi Jama Alasow of the Sincad Party, who secured eight votes. Two ballots were declared invalid, according to the election results.

All 89 members of the regional parliament participated in the vote held in Dhusamareb.

In both deputy speaker elections, two lawmakers abstained, and no votes were cast against the candidates.

According to the candidate list released by Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC), Hussein, Abdirisaaq and Mursal are members of the Justice and Unity Party, which is led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Their election gives JSP control of the speaker’s office and both deputy speaker positions in Galmudug’s new parliament.

The party secured 67 of the 89 seats in the regional assembly during the Sept. 30 elections, giving it a parliamentary majority.

The parliamentary leadership elections follow the swearing-in of the newly elected lawmakers on Friday.

Galmudug’s new parliament was elected in a repeat vote after Somalia’s Supreme Court annulled the results of the July 30 elections over procedural and administrative irregularities.

The electoral process has also faced criticism following the exclusion of the Towfiiq political organization, which had successfully challenged the earlier election results in court.

The election of the parliamentary leadership clears the way for Galmudug’s presidential and vice presidential elections, scheduled for Oct. 22.

JSP has nominated Liban Ahmed Hassan as its candidate for the regional presidency.