[6][7] One form of criticism that was levelled at the Konfuur-Galbeed administration during its early development is that some of its functional facets hearkened back to the negative aspects of the era of the historically conterminous Geledi.

The latter's tributary status was believed to inculcate subordinacy rather than self-sufficiency, an administration that was oligarchical rather than egalitarian, and too much contrast with the historically British Jubaland to its west and south.

[8] The territory known as the Southwestern State of Somalia (Somali: Dowlad Goboleedka Koonfur-Galbeed ee Soomaaliya), or locally Koofur Orsi, was originally intended to consist of six Somali administrative regions: (gobollo): Bay, Bakool, Middle Jubba (Jubbada Dhexe), Lower Shabelle (Shabeellada Hoose), Gedo and Lower Jubba (Jubbada Hoose).

[14] On 27 March 2014, 733 delegates in Baidoa representing the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions elected Mohamed Haji Abdinur as president of the Southwestern State of Somalia.

[15] On 30 March 2014, the President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Baidoa to defuse political tension between the two competing Southwestern State delegations.

The autonomous Puntland regional administration in northeastern Somalia issued a statement the following day congratulating Abdinur on his election as president of the Southwestern State.

On 23 June 2014, the office of Federal Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari hosted an event announcing the merger of the two competing administrations into a single three-region state, which is to be composed of the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle provinces.

[24] On 16 July 2014, the establishment of the Technical Committee on Formation of Interim South West Administration was announced and endorsed at a formal ceremony in Mogadishu.

[25] In September 2014, Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari and UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay visited Baidoa to finalize talks over the South West state's formation.

[26] Jawari subsequently announced that a reconciliation conference would be held in the city on 14 September to unify the competing three-region and six-region local administrations.

[27] Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed opened the summit,[28] which was attended by Lower Shabelle, Bay and Bakool provincial representatives, clan elders and politicians.

The delegates from the new regional state's constituent Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle provinces unanimously agreed to make Barawe its capital.

The merger came after a power-sharing agreement signed in Baidoa between both sides, which stipulates that the South West Somalia six-region's leadership will be granted the new federal state's vice president and parliament speaker positions.

The bilateral accord was signed in the presence of representatives from the two regional states, including politicians, traditional leaders and civil society activists.

Additionally, the memorandum stipulates that the two regional states will form a security committee consisting of representatives from both administrations, which will facilitate launching joint counterinsurgency operations, extradition, and expertise and intelligence sharing.

[34] As a part of the continuing federalization processes of Somalia and fostering local democracy, the South West State has planned to have own presidential elections on 17 November 2018.

[38] Mukhtar Robow was officially cleared by the South West State Electoral Commission to contest in the December elections despite early protest by the Federal government seeking to have him barred.

The group said it fears the government is planning to rig because the new date is not favourable for international observers as most of them will then have left Somalia for the end of the year festivities.

[citation needed] Some 150 elite Somali forces, armed to the tooth with some really heavy calibre machine guns, were deployed to Baidoa to physically block Robow from accessing the election venue.

[citation needed] On 7 Nov 2018 The United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) warned of presidential election in Somalia's South West State have the potential to lead to violence and called on all parties to ensure that the electoral process proceeds in accordance with the established rules and avoids any behaviour which may lead to conflict or undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

The accusation was that interference in a sovereign state's internal affairs after Haysom wrote to the Government questioning the legality of the arrest of Mukhtar Robow and Police killing of 15 protesters.