Somalia Holds First Municipal Vote in Capital in Almost 60 Years

Residents of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, voted in their first municipal election in 56 years on Thursday, a contest that was boycotted by most opposition leaders.

Election officials said about 500,000 of the city’s more than 2 million people registered to cast ballots. There was a low initial turnout at the more than 500 polling stations, with the authorities shutting off access to a number of streets and the main airport due to security concerns.