State and regional bodies
Institutions of Jubaland, South West, Galmudug and Hirshabelle: parliaments, leaders and courts
Each of Somalia's southern and central member states has its own parliament, president, cabinet, courts and attorney general. In 2026 Galmudug (89 seats) and Hirshabelle (99 seats) elected their parliaments by one-person-one-vote for the first time, and South West elected a 95-seat assembly in a party vote. Jubaland's 75 members, chosen through elders, serve from 2025 to 2030. Each parliament elects the state's president.
How a member state is built
Under Somalia's constitution, two or more regions may join to form a federal member state, and each state has its own constitution, parliament, president and cabinet (Provisional Constitution 2012, via Constitute Project). The pattern is the same in all four states on this page: a single-house parliament makes the state's laws and elects the state president, who appoints a cabinet of state ministers. For each state's history, land and past leaders, see Federal member states. For Puntland, see Puntland's institutions.
At a glance
| State | Capital | Seats | How the current members were chosen | Speaker | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jubaland | Kismaayo (working) | 75 | Nominated by traditional elders, for 2025 to 2030 | Abdi Mohamed Abdirahman | Ahmed Mohamed Islam "Madobe" |
| South West | Baidoa (working) | 95 | Party vote, 2026 | Mahad Mohamed Sheikh Hassan | Adan Mohamed Nur "Madobe" |
| Galmudug | Dhuusamarreeb | 89 | One-person-one-vote, 2026 | Hussein Mohamed Nur Mohamed | Liban Ahmed Hassan |
| Hirshabelle | Jowhar | 99 | One-person-one-vote, 30 September 2026 | Abdihakim Luqman Haji Mohamed | Ali Abdullahi Hussein "Gudlawe" |
Sources are given in each state's section below.
Jubaland
- Constitution: a provisional constitution approved on 2 April 2013 by a conference of more than 500 delegates in Kismaayo (Jubaland). In late 2025 the speaker announced that parliament had amended it to replace the words "Federal Member State" with "Jubbaland State" (Somali Guardian; Geeska).
- Parliament: in November 2024 Jubaland's electoral commission published the names of 75 members for 2025 to 2030, nominated by their traditional elders (Halqabsi, November 2024). Abdi Mohamed Abdirahman was elected speaker with 65 votes to 7 (SBC).
- President: parliament re-elected Ahmed Madobe on 25 November 2024, after it changed the constitution to allow a third term. The federal government did not accept the vote and Jubaland suspended ties (Eastleigh Voice; Jubaland).
South West State
- Parliament: the Third Parliament has 95 seats. In the 2026 vote the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) won 51 of 95 seats and 67,970 votes, 53 percent of valid ballots. On 4 June 2026 the assembly elected Mahad Mohamed Sheikh Hassan speaker with 70 votes to 25, Adan Hassan Mohamed first deputy (82 votes) and Shamso Mohamed Yarow second deputy (73 votes) (Dawan Africa, 5 June 2026).
- Two votes in 2026: in March 2026 a 95-member assembly had re-elected Ali Said Fiqi as speaker and Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed "Laftagareen" as president with 66 votes (Kaab TV). The federal government called that vote unconstitutional. South West cut ties with the federal government on 17 March 2026; federal forces took Baidoa on 30 March and the state leader resigned (South West State).
- President: Adan Mohamed Nur "Madobe", until then Speaker of the federal House of the People, was elected on 10 June 2026 with 88 of 90 votes cast (AllAfrica, June 2026).
Galmudug
- Parliament: 89 seats. The members were elected by one-person-one-vote, in a vote held twice, with nearly 200,000 ballots cast, and sworn in on 16 October 2026. The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ran the vote, and its chairman, Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, spoke of a five-year term (Dawan Africa, 17 October 2026). JSP won 67 of the 89 seats in the 30 September 2026 rerun and Sincad 7 (Dawan Africa).
- Speaker: Hussein Mohamed Nur Mohamed, elected on 18 October 2026 with 79 votes; deputies Abdulkadir Ahmed Ali Quri and Mursal Abdi Adan Elmi, each with 87 votes (Dawan Africa). The previous speaker was Mohamed Nur Gacal.
- President: parliament elected Liban Ahmed Hassan on 22 October 2026 (Galmudug).
Hirshabelle
- Parliament: 99 seats, elected directly on 30 September 2026, the first time Hirshabelle's members were chosen by one-person-one-vote. They were sworn in at Jowhar on 20 October 2026 in the presence of the national electoral commission (Dawan Africa, 21 October 2026).
- Speaker: Abdihakim Luqman Haji Mohamed, speaker since 4 November 2020, was re-elected on 22 October 2026. Abdirahman Abdi Iidow and Jama Ali Mohamud were elected deputies unopposed (Dawan Africa). The first speaker was Sheikh Osman Barre.
- President: Ali Gudlawe was re-elected with 81 votes in October 2026 (Dawan Africa).
Courts, prosecutors and civil servants
Each state has its own courts and attorney general. The national statistics bureau's latest counts (SNBS, Facts and Figures 2024, Tables 2.20 and 2.23 (SNBS)):
| State | Cases at the attorney general | Share closed | Civil servants | Of whom women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West | 967 | 79% | 166 | 23 |
| Galmudug | 410 | 84% | 175 | 43 |
| Jubaland | 183 | 74% | 699 | 124 |
| Hirshabelle | 63 | 67% | 152 | 28 |
For comparison, Puntland reported 4,440 cases and 4,130 civil servants, and the federal government 2,645 cases and 5,751 civil servants. See the federal Attorney General.
How to use them
- State services: IDs, land, local courts and state taxes are handled by state ministries and district administrations.
- A court case: start at the district court; appeals go to the state's appeal court.
Its legal basis
Article 49 and Chapter 5 of the Provisional Constitution of Somalia, as amended in 2024 and 2026; each state's own constitution.
Sources
- Provisional Constitution 2012, via Constitute Project · constituteproject.org
- Somali Guardian · somaliguardian.com
- Geeska · geeska.com
- Halqabsi, November 2024 · halqabsi.com
- SBC · allsbc.com
- Eastleigh Voice · eastleighvoice.co.ke
- Dawan Africa, 5 June 2026 · dawan.africa
- Kaab TV · en.kaabtv.com
- AllAfrica, June 2026 · allafrica.com
- Dawan Africa, 17 October 2026 · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa, 21 October 2026 · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- SNBS · nbs.gov.so
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Where this matters
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
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