Somalia finalises EALA candidate list as 18 cleared for historic regional election

Somalia’s Federal Parliament has completed the registration process for candidates seeking to represent the country in the East African Legislative Assembly. (Photo: Handout)

By Abdirahman Khalif
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

The vote to elect the representatives will take place on Wednesday, marking a major procedural step in Somalia’s integration into the East African Community (EAC).

Somalia’s Federal Parliament has completed the registration process for candidates seeking to represent the country in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). The registration closed on Tuesday afternoon with eighteen candidates cleared to contest for nine seats.

The vote to elect the representatives will take place on Wednesday, marking a major procedural step in Somalia’s integration into the East African Community (EAC).

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The registration exercise follows Somalia’s accession to the East African Community on 24 November 2023, when the country became the eighth member of the regional bloc.

As part of the requirements of full membership, Somalia is now participating in the election of its first representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly and preparing to appoint members to the East African Court of Justice.

A joint parliamentary committee was established earlier this month to manage the nomination and election process. The committee is chaired by Member of Parliament Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, commonly known as Nuux, while Senator Zamzam Ibrahim Ali serves as the deputy chair.

Other members of the committee include MP Abdi Ibrahim Warsame, also known as Qowdhan, Senator Iftiin Hassan Iman, known as Baasto, and MP Guled Bihi Abdi.

The committee’s mandate includes receiving and vetting applications, confirming eligibility, and preparing the final list of candidates to be presented to the two Houses of Parliament for voting.

The deadline for candidate registration was set for Tuesday, 14 October 2025, at 1:00 pm, Mogadishu time. After the deadline passed, the final list of cleared candidates was made public later in the day.

According to parliamentary officials, a total of eighteen candidates met the qualification requirements and will compete for the nine available seats allocated to Somalia in the regional assembly.

The election is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, in a joint sitting of the Upper and Lower Houses of the Federal Parliament. Once elected, the representatives will join other delegates from East African Community member states at the assembly’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

This election marks the first time Somalia will send members to EALA, an institution that plays a central role in formulating and harmonising regional laws and policies among East African states. Somalia’s inclusion in EALA is expected to strengthen its participation in regional legislative processes and allow it to contribute to discussions on trade, security, and economic cooperation within the East African Community.

Officials involved in the process have stated that the election will follow EAC procedures, which require representation to reflect gender, political, and social balance.

The committee has also emphasised the importance of transparency in the process and has encouraged fair competition among the candidates. Parliamentary sources have indicated that sitting members of the Federal Parliament are not expected to contest for the positions to avoid conflicts of interest between national and regional roles.

Once the election is completed, Somalia’s representatives will be sworn in alongside delegates from other member states. Their participation will mark the country’s full integration into the legislative and institutional frameworks of the East African Community.

Somali leaders have said that the move will help deepen cooperation with neighbouring countries, promote regional stability, and support the country’s economic and political objectives within the bloc.