Mogadishu (Kaab TV) – The JSP party has begun its sub-elections, during which President Hassan Sheikh has been observing the process and reviewing results through a computer system.
The sub-elections aim to identify the party members who will participate in the upcoming vote for the disputed Banadir Regional Local Council—an election in which JSP is the sole competing party.
According to the JSP leadership and the party’s election committee, 923,000 people registered to vote in the Banadir region. However, in the JSP internal by-election—now in its second day—only 90,000 general party members had voted as of 8:00 AM yesterday, representing less than 10% of Mogadishu’s registered voters.
The JSP voting system is reportedly concealed at the district level. Apart from the top five candidates—who collectively control around 30–40% of each district’s votes—the process remains opaque.
Critics argue that this secrecy enables party officials to manipulate the removal or replacement of council members without proper transparency.
This has raised a key question: In an election controlled by President Hassan Sheikh’s group, what percentage of legitimacy can be claimed when less than 10% of registered voters from their own party participated?