Galmudug’s assembly elected Liibaan Ahmed Hassan, known as Liibaan Shuluq, as president in Dhuusamareeb on October 22. Speaker Hussein Mohamed Nur announced that he received 72 votes against 14 for Abdulkadir Abdullahi Diriye. Three ballots were invalid, according to the reported result from the 89-member assembly.
Hassan stood for the Justice and Solidarity Party, JSP. The vote replaces Ahmed Abdi Kariye, known as Qoor Qoor, who has led Galmudug since 2020. The assembly also elected Abdiweli Ibrahim Garyare as vice-president, with 64 votes against 20 for Abdisatar Mohamed Geelle.
The presidential choice was made by lawmakers, following the September 30 election for the assembly and local councils. Its outcome gives the administration a new leadership after an electoral process disputed by opposition figures. Some of those politicians, including former prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and former Galmudug president Abdikarim Hussein Guled, subsequently congratulated Hassan.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also sent congratulations, Horseed reported. The separate messages recognise the announced result from different parts of Somali politics. The new leadership now takes over Galmudug’s administration as the wider dispute over the country’s electoral arrangements continues.