Sunday May 17, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defended his government’s push for one-person, one-vote elections Saturday, saying the country’s indirect election system has repeatedly produced political violence, arrests and instability.
Speaking in Mogadishu, Mohamud said Somalia must move away from a system in which political representatives are selected through clan-based and indirect processes. He said direct elections would give citizens the right to choose their representatives freely.
The president said the federal government is working to implement one-person, one-vote elections as part of a broader political transition that includes constitutional changes and a multiparty system.
Mohamud also reiterated that the mandate of Somalia’s federal institutions will end May 15, 2027, not May 15, 2026. He said the extension is based on the newly enacted constitution and was not a personal decision.
The remarks come after opposition leaders rejected the constitutional amendments and accused the government of using them to extend Mohamud’s time in office without political consensus.
Mohamud said his administration is fulfilling earlier promises to complete the constitution, establish political parties and end the indirect election model that has dominated Somalia’s politics for years.
Opposition leaders say the government is pushing ahead with major political reforms without sufficient agreement among federal member states, opposition figures and other stakeholders. Federal officials argue that Somalia must transition to direct elections to broaden public participation and strengthen democratic governance.
The political dispute intensified after three days of talks between the federal government and representatives of the Somali Future Council ended without agreement. The negotiations, held in Mogadishu from May 13 to 15, focused on elections, constitutional changes and the political transition.
The African Union Commission and the United Nations have urged Somali leaders to return to dialogue and seek a broader agreement. The AU said it regretted that the talks ended without consensus and called on all political stakeholders to avoid hardening their positions.
The dispute over Somalia’s electoral model has become one of the most serious political tests facing Mohamud’s government, with the opposition warning that unilateral reforms could deepen instability and the government insisting that direct elections are the only path toward a more representative political system.
