District commissioners wielded real power to rig Somali elections through voter-list verification.

Evidence

The governors and district commissioners had a vital role to play in the election because they controlled government machinery in their localities. For instance, district commissioners, as agents of the Ministry of Interior, received pre-election registration forms from party candidates and verified the authenticity of party voter lists and signatures. These authorities created obstacles for parties and independent candidates not aligned with the regime. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1013