Saturday March 7, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — A political party led by former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has called on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to prioritize a broadly agreed electoral process as the country approaches the end of the current term.
In a statement issued Friday, the Himilo Qaran party urged the president to focus the remainder of his mandate on organizing elections that involve all political stakeholders and are grounded in mutual agreement.
The party warned that proceeding without a national consensus could trigger fresh tensions and undermine governance at a delicate moment in Somalia’s state-building process.
It also called on the federal government to strengthen consultation and cooperation among political leaders and institutions to ensure elections that are peaceful, transparent and credible.
The appeal comes amid mounting debate over the implications of newly adopted constitutional amendments. On Thursday, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe, announced that the mandates of federal government institutions have been extended to five years under the revised constitution.
Somalia’s previous provisional constitution, adopted in 2012 at the end of the transitional period, set the term of federal institutions at four years. The revised charter, approved this week by a joint sitting of parliament, replaces that framework and stipulates five-year mandates.
Government officials have described the constitutional overhaul as a long-overdue step toward completing Somalia’s legal foundation and clarifying the federal system. Critics, however, argue that the changes risk altering the political timetable and were adopted without sufficient consensus.
Sheikh Sharif’s party did not directly address the term extension but emphasized that political leaders must avoid steps that could polarize the country.
The statement reflects growing concern among opposition figures and political actors about the direction of the electoral process and the need for negotiated solutions as Somalia navigates a sensitive political transition.
