The municipal vote in Mogadishu is being seen as a big step toward the country's first nationwide direct elections since 1969

Citizens of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, cast their ballots on Thursday in municipal elections designed to lay the groundwork for the country's first direct national elections in more than half a century.

The East African country has not held direct elections since 1969, shortly before former military ruler Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in a coup.

Following Barre's ouster in 1991 and years of civil war, Somalia introduced an indirect electoral system in 2004. That model was intended to foster consensus among rival sides amid an ongoing Islamist insurgency.

The vote in Mogadishu, home to roughly three million people, is being viewed as the first big step towards nationwide elections. While security in the capital has improved in recent years, the country continues to face attacks by terrorist groups.

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, particularly Al-Shabaab, have been carrying out regular attacks in several African countries, including those in the Sahel region. The terrorist group continues to carry out raids, bombings, and targeted assassinations in an effort to destabilize the Somali government and regional security structures.

In August, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said more than 50 Al-Shabaab militants had been killed in joint operations with Somali forces in Bariire, 73km southwest of the capital.

Over 1,600 candidates are contesting 390 local council seats; nearly 400,000 registered voters have been called upon to participate, according to the Somali Electoral Commission.

Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama described direct elections as "a constitutional right of every Somali citizen."

"This morning I joined the hundreds of thousands of people living in the capital who cast their votes freely and fairly ... we have regained our constitutional rights after more than half a century," he highlighted on X. 

A member of the National Electoral Commission, Abdishakur Abib Hayir, told Reuters that the vote demonstrated Somalia's progress and resilience. "After the local election, elections can and will take place in the entire country," he said.

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The Somali parliament approved the introduction of universal direct suffrage and a transition to a presidential form of government in 2024. Presidential elections are scheduled for 2026.