Somalia

Somalia’s push toward one-person, one-vote elections in 2026 has entered a decisive and contested phase, shaped by a pilot vote in Mogadishu, accelerating constitutional changes, and widening disputes between the federal government, opposition figures, and some regional leaders. The Federal Government says it is moving the country away from the long-running clan-based, indirect system, while critics say the pace and process of reforms risk deepening political tensions ahead of key deadlines in April and May 2026.…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s parliament has approved constitutional changes that extend the terms of the president and lawmakers and push back planned elections, according to Reuters and statements by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and parliamentary Speaker Adan Mohamed Nur (Adan Madobe). Reuters reported that lawmakers voted to change the constitution and extend mandates to five years from four years, a move opponents said amounts to an unlawful term extension in a country where election timelines have repeatedly…

Somalia’s parliament has approved constitutional changes that leaders said will extend the terms of lawmakers and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and delay planned elections by a year, adding to political tensions as the country approaches the end of its current mandates. The vote on March 5 was confirmed publicly by the president and the parliament speaker, according to Reuters. Opposition figures have criticized the changes and warned against any move they say could undermine the constitutional order. Election…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s voting system has long relied on indirect, clan-based selection of lawmakers who then choose the country’s president, a model that leaders and international partners have repeatedly said they want to replace with “one person, one vote” elections. Somalia has not held a nationwide direct election for decades, with insecurity and political disputes cited by Somali officials, analysts and international partners as major obstacles to broader voting. How national leaders are chosen now Under…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s political leadership is split between the federal government in Mogadishu and a set of federal member states that run their own regional administrations under the country’s federal system. The internationally recognized federal leadership is headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. Somalia also faces a long-running territorial and political dispute with Somaliland, a region in the north that declared independence in 1991 and operates separate…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s planned 2026 national elections have become the focus of a widening political dispute after parliament approved constitutional changes that leaders and opponents say would reshape how the country chooses its leaders and when the next vote is held. On March 5, 2026, Somalia’s parliament voted to amend the constitution and extend the terms of lawmakers and the president to five years from four, according to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the parliamentary speaker in statements reported by…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s efforts to hold more direct elections, after decades of indirect, clan-based voting, matter beyond its borders because they are closely tied to the country’s fight against the al-Shabab insurgency, the security of busy shipping routes off the Horn of Africa and the stability of an aid-dependent state where international partners are trying to shift responsibility for security to Somali institutions. Somalia has long selected many officials through clan-based negotiations and indirect…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia is preparing for a planned shift to direct national elections in 2026, a major change in a country that has relied for decades on an indirect, clan-based system in which selected delegates choose members of parliament, who then elect the president. Somali authorities say the goal is a “one person, one vote” process, but opposition figures have questioned whether the transition is being handled by consensus and warn of renewed political crisis. The push toward universal suffrage has unfolded…

Saturday March 21, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A looming election dispute in Somalia’s Southwest State has sparked a stark warning from the region’s parliamentary leadership, with Speaker Dr. Ali Said Fiqi cautioning that a federal push to stage polls in Barawe could destabilize the area and even ignite conflict. Writing Friday on his X account, Fiqi argued that Barawe has never operated as Southwest State’s effective seat of government. He said the regional parliament has not convened there, nor has the cabinet held meetings in the…