Somali women first voted in the October 1958 municipal elections.

Evidence

The October 1958 municipal elections – in which for the first time women participated equally with men – provided an opportunity for assessing the extent of the new movement’s appeal. Of 663 seats the S.Y.L. won 416; the H.D.M.S. 175; while Great came in third place winning only 36 seats but nevertheless beating the only other national party which contested the elections, the Liberal Party, which gained 27 seats. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 411

Categorization

• XREF: Women’s suffrage entry point connects to broader gender history of Somali political participation. — connects to: The 1958 French referendum defeated Pan-Somali unionism and installed French-aligned leadership in the Côte; Northern and Southern Somali leaders made public contact in December 1958; A Somali woman held municipal office in Mogadishu by September 1950 — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1258 (+2 more)

Related

• A Somali woman held municipal office in Mogadishu by September 1950 (similarity 0.86)
• Northern and Southern Somali leaders made public contact in December 1958 (similarity 0.83)
• Somalia’s 1963 municipal election was its first local vote since independence. (similarity 0.80)
• The SYL won 83 of 90 seats in the 1959 assembly election (similarity 0.79)
• Somalia’s 1951 territorial council favored tribal over party representation (similarity 0.79)
• The SYL won 83 of 90 seats in Somalia’s 1959 assembly election. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Somalia’s first municipal elections of March 1954 were won decisively by the SYL #qualifies (0.55)
• Somalia’s 1951 territorial council favored tribal over party representation #qualifies (0.50) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1259