Somalia's Galmudug parliament speaker says lawmakers blocked from chamber amid election dispute
Galmudug Parliament has been shut down by security forces amid a growing dispute over the regional election, with Speaker Mohamed Nur Gacal accusing President Qoor Qoor of ordering the closure.
DHUSAMAREB, Somalia (Somali Report) — Security forces have been deployed around the Galmudug parliament in central Somalia and closed its doors, preventing lawmakers from resuming their work amid a dispute over the region’s upcoming elections, the parliament speaker said.
Mohamed Nur Gacal told the BBC that the forces remained inside the parliament compound and had told lawmakers they were acting on orders from Galmudug President Ahmed Abdi Karie, widely known as Qoor Qoor, to suspend the legislature’s activities.
Gacal said lawmakers initially left the premises after the soldiers arrived, but later learned that the order to close the parliament had come from the president.
Some lawmakers who contacted Karie were told that the administration was in an election period and that constitutional institutions did not need to resume their functions while the electoral process remained unresolved, Gacal said.
The speaker rejected that interpretation, saying it was inconsistent with Galmudug’s constitution, which he said requires constitutional institutions to continue carrying out their duties until power is formally transferred to newly elected institutions.
He said there were also decisions concerning the election, including a court ruling accepted by Somalia’s federal government and the electoral commission, that needed to be implemented.
“The forces are still deployed around us, and, according to what they have told us, they have orders from the president of Galmudug,” Gacal said.
He described the situation as unusual and said no clear solution had emerged from contacts between lawmakers and the regional president.
Gacal said the presence of the forces did not pose a particular security threat to him or other lawmakers, but had effectively halted parliamentary activities.
He added that he was unable to contact Karie directly because of the security forces surrounding the parliament compound.
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The speaker linked the latest standoff to a broader dispute over Galmudug’s elections and tensions between the federal government in Mogadishu and the regional administration.
He said Galmudug’s institutions had been largely inactive for nearly five months following disagreements over the election. According to Gacal, the dispute was eventually eased after Karie made concessions and an agreement was reached between the federal government and Galmudug authorities.
He said he believed the latest move was connected to those developments and decisions reached over the electoral process.
Gacal insisted that parliament should resume its work, saying lawmakers faced several important issues requiring their attention.
Among them, he cited preserving the unity and cohesion of Galmudug, addressing political disputes and responding to the effects of drought on local communities.
He also said parliament had legislation requiring consideration, while the date of the next election remained unclear.
The speaker argued that under Galmudug’s constitution and established principles of governance, the current parliament should continue performing its constitutional duties until elections are held and a new legislature formally takes over.
The standoff adds to political tensions in Galmudug as Somalia’s federal government and regional administrations continue to negotiate over electoral arrangements and the distribution of political authority.
The dispute also highlights wider disagreements over the role and continuity of regional institutions during periods of electoral transition, with officials on different sides offering competing interpretations of constitutional provisions.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.