Two Belet Weyne party insiders contested Somalia’s 1961 presidency

Evidence

The campaign for the presidency started long before the referendum. The two candidates for the post were the incumbent, Osman, and the minister of Health and Labor, Sheikh Ali. Ironically, Egal did not even consider competing for the presidency. Both Osman and Sheikh Ali hailed from Belet Weyne and had been senior members of the ruling party. The candidates adopted two contrasting campaign strategies. Sheikh Ali was unwilling to declare his candidacy until immediately before the constitutional plebiscite; however, his candidacy was an open secret in the capital. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 592