MOGADISHU (SD) — The Tawfik Political Organization, led by Sheikh Shakir Sheikh Mohamed, has been excluded from the Galmudug repeat election scheduled for September 30, raising fresh questions about the inclusiveness and political credibility of the rerun.

The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has released the list of political organizations cleared to participate in the repeat election, with Tawfik notably absent. The party had participated in the July 30 election, whose results were later annulled by Somalia’s Supreme Court following legal challenges over alleged irregularities and violations of electoral procedures.

Tawfik had emerged as one of the strongest political forces in the original election. Official results gave the party 12 seats in the Galmudug regional parliament, placing it second behind the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), which won 63 seats. Tawfik also secured 49 local council seats.

The party subsequently rejected the results, alleging irregularities, violence and the exclusion of some of its representatives from polling stations. Sheikh Shakir said the party would not accept the announced outcome and called for an independent review of the vote.

The dispute eventually reached the courts. The Supreme Court later annulled the July election results and ordered a fresh vote, creating the basis for the September 30 rerun. The court’s decision has therefore placed the new election under particular scrutiny, as it is intended to address a process that was previously found to have failed to meet constitutional and electoral requirements.

Towfiiq’s exclusion is particularly significant because the party maintains substantial political support in parts of Galmudug, especially Dhusamareb and Guriceel. Its absence could substantially change the distribution of votes and allow competing political organizations to attract supporters who previously backed Tawfik candidates.

The decision could also create a new political and legal dispute. Tawfik could challenge its exclusion and demand clarification from the electoral authorities over the legal basis for preventing it from participating in a rerun that follows an election it previously contested and challenged.

The issue is likely to be particularly sensitive because Tawfik was among the political organizations that participated in the original election and subsequently challenged the process. Its supporters could therefore question whether a rerun can fully restore confidence in the electoral process if one of the principal political actors from the disputed election is not permitted to compete.

Recent discussions between the electoral commission and political parties emphasized the need for the Galmudug rerun to be free, fair, transparent and credible. Towfiiq’s exclusion could consequently become an important test of whether those commitments are reflected in practice.