{"id":56658,"date":"2025-12-27T09:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T09:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/au-congratulates-somalia-on-historic-elections\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T09:49:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T09:49:27","slug":"au-congratulates-somalia-on-historic-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/au-congratulates-somalia-on-historic-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"AU congratulates Somalia on historic elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a statement, Youssouf praised the calm and orderly conduct of the process, saying that &#8220;the holding of these elections constitutes an important initial step in Somalia&#8217;s ongoing efforts to advance democratic governance across the country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Youssouf underscored that the municipal-level polls contribute to the strengthening of participatory governance and offer valuable experience as Somalia advances its nationally-led political and electoral trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>He encouraged all Somali political stakeholders to continue engaging constructively through dialogue and inclusive consultation to support national unity and long-term stability.<\/p>\n<p>The chairperson reaffirmed the 55-member continental bloc&#8217;s continued engagement in accompanying the Somali people in their efforts to strengthen inclusive governance and advance lasting peace and stability.<\/p>\n<p>According to official reports, more than 500,000 voters in Mogadishu cast ballots on Thursday in municipal elections widely seen as a key step toward the East African country&#8217;s first direct national elections in more than five decades.<\/p>\n<p>Somalia&#8217;s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said some 1,604 candidates from 20 political parties are running for 390 posts in district councils in Mogadishu, in a vote viewed as crucial to dismantling the country&#8217;s long-standing clan-based political system.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99764\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/webp\/web.webp\" alt=\"African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Friday congratulated the Somali people and government on the historic municipal elections held in the country&#039;s capital, Mogadishu.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Friday congratulated the Somali people and government on the historic municipal elections held in the country&#8217;s capital, Mogadishu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000099763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[235],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-xinhua"],"bylines":[{"id":235,"name":"Xinhua","slug":"xinhua","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":80}],"contributors":[{"id":235,"name":"Xinhua","slug":"xinhua","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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