Absence of two key federal member states from the inauguration of Sheikh Aden Madobe highlights opposition to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s push for centralised reforms and one-person, one-vote elections.
The leaders of Jubaland and Puntland – two powerful federal member states – have displayed regional defiance, staying away from the official swearing-in of Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe as president of Southwest State, an event attended by Somalia’s federal President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Sheikh Adan Madobe, until recently the speaker of Somalia’s federal parliament, secured a landslide victory in the Southwest State election held in Baidoa on 10-11 June, receiving 88 out of 90 votes cast by regional lawmakers. He formally assumed office in a handover ceremony shortly afterwards.
The boycott underscores the deepening rift between Mogadishu and the two northern states, which have cut bilateral ties with the federal government and strongly oppose its transition towards a universal one-person, one-vote electoral system.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration views the reforms as essential for broader democratisation, but critics in Puntland and Jubaland see them as an effort to consolidate central power at the expense of regional autonomy.
The election of Madobe – a veteran politician with deep ties to the federal establishment – has not been warmly received in all quarters.
The former president of Southwest State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, was removed from power earlier this year amid political turmoil and federal intervention. His ousting formed part of the broader contest that preceded the latest leadership change.
Abdiraman Yussuf, a local political observer, notes that the absence of Puntland and Jubaland from such a significant regional inauguration reflects not only personal and factional disputes but also fundamental disagreements over Somalia’s constitutional future.
“Both states have resisted aspects of the federal government’s electoral roadmap, fearing it could undermine their influence ahead of national polls,” he said.
President Mohamud has repeatedly called for unity and dialogue, but the persistent boycotts and severed ties suggest that bridging these divides will remain a formidable challenge.
The new Southwest leadership now faces the task of stabilising its region while navigating the complex federal dynamics that continue to shape Somali politics.
