Galmudug announces timeline for its presidential election

[Deeq A.]

The Somali regional state of Galmudug is expected to hold presidential elections on 30 January, the commission tasked with overseeing the election has said.

The president and his deputy will be elected and sworn in on the same day. The release of the electoral schedule followed the election of a Speaker for the regional parliament on 17 January.

The electoral process, which is led by the interior ministry of the federal government, has been rejected by outgoing state president, Ahmed Duale Haaf.

On 19 January, a rival electoral commission formed by Haaf unveiled a separate parliament, which is also expected to hold its own presidential election in the central city of Galkayo.

Haaf has accused the federal government of hijacking the Galmudug election for its own political ends. The rival bodies risk embroiling the region in a new conflict.

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