MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed warned Wednesday that Somalia is not ready for a genuine one-person, one-vote election, arguing that the country’s fragile security and the absence of core institutions put its democratic transition at risk.
In an interview with the BBC Somali Service, Sheikh Sharif said the government’s timetable for direct voting remains more rhetorical than real, citing the lack of enabling laws, functioning political parties and credible security arrangements. “One-person, one-vote elections are not achieved through rhetoric alone, they require laws, functioning parties, and reliable security,” he said.
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- Sheikh Sharif says Somalia lacks the legal, party and security infrastructure for universal suffrage.
- He criticized the newly appointed electoral commission as partisan and nonrepresentative.
- He urged an agreed political framework to defuse tensions and safeguard state stability.
- Local elections in Mogadishu are slated to begin by late December 2025.
The former president — who led the country from 2009 to 2012 and remains an influential opposition figure — framed the stakes in stark terms, saying Somalia’s future is in jeopardy without a coherent national plan to steer the vote and stabilize the security environment. He described the situation as “critical,” adding that many Somalis fear what the country could look like in the coming years without consensus on the rules of the game.
Sheikh Sharif was especially critical of the newly named electoral commission, contending that it does not reflect a broad political balance. “Technically, a consensus-based commission is needed, but one appointed by only one party does not inspire confidence,” he said, warning that the dominance of a single political current — particularly one aligned with Villa Somalia — undermines multiparty competition and the credibility of any eventual balloting.
Somalia has long relied on an indirect, clan-based system to select national lawmakers, with the most recent federal elections concluding in 2022 under a negotiated model. PresidentHassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration has pledged to pivot the country toward direct voting, beginning at the local level. Authorities have said they intend to hold local polls in Mogadishu at the end of December 2025 as a step toward broader one-person, one-vote elections.
But Sheikh Sharif argued that momentum must be matched with substance: clear electoral laws, an accepted voter registry, robust party organization, and a credible security plan to protect polling, candidates and citizens. He urged the government to craft an agreed-upon framework with the opposition and federal member states to avoid escalating political tensions that could derail the process and distract from the fight against militants.
Security remains the overarching constraint. Despite periodic government advances, Al-Shabaab continues to mount deadly attacks and hold territory in parts of the country, complicating logistics and raising doubts about uniform access to polling stations. Civic groups and political leaders have repeatedly flagged the risks of attempting nationwide direct voting without firming up security, legal and administrative pillars.
Officials have maintained they are committed to credible local polls and a gradual expansion of direct voting, portraying the new commission and electoral calendar as necessary steps. Sheikh Sharif’s critique underscores the challenge now facing the government: building broad political buy-in while demonstrating that the institutions underpinning a one-person, one-vote system can function under Somalia’s current conditions.
“There are legitimate fears about the survival of the state if a unified and coherent plan is not established,” he said, calling for a reset that prioritizes consensus, safeguards multiparty competition and ensures that any electoral milestones are matched by tangible, verifiable progress on the ground.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
