President Mohamud invites Somali Future Council to talks amid electoral dispute

Sunday May 3, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — With his term set to expire in less than two weeks, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called members of the Somali Future Council to a high-level meeting in Mogadishu on May 10, 2026, as political friction deepens over the country’s next steps.

In a statement released Saturday, the presidency said the invitation came after the president consulted with a range of social groups in recent days. The planned gathering is expected to examine major national issues, among them Somalia’s political future and the shape of its electoral process.

According to the statement, the agenda will focus on accelerating state-building efforts, resolving electoral challenges, strengthening national unity, and defining Somalia’s political direction.

President Hassan Sheikh stressed that any meaningful outcome will depend on dialogue, mutual understanding, and compromise.

“The Federal Government is committed to building a political system based on unity, consensus, and the protection of the country’s sovereignty and independence,” the statement said.

The move comes with just under two weeks left before the president’s current term is due to end on May 15, while no agreement has yet been reached on either an electoral model or a timetable.

It is still uncertain whether opposition groups will take part. Previous rounds of talks have broken down, and opposition leaders have accused the president of trying to postpone elections.

Earlier on Saturday, opposition figures said they would unveil within a week a proposed electoral model that would be neither the indirect vote system nor a one-person, one-vote arrangement.

The opposition has repeatedly ruled out any extension of power beyond constitutional limits and has warned against unilateral moves on elections.

“The constitutional term of the President ends on May 15, 2026. After that date, we will recognize him as an ordinary citizen,” opposition leaders said during a press conference in Mogadishu. “We will pursue peaceful resistance, public mobilization, and national dialogue to prevent a constitutional vacuum and establish a legitimate government that reflects the will of the people.”

The latest standoff follows the president’s signing of a revised federal constitution, which sets five-year terms for federal institutions and replaces the four-year mandate under the 2012 provisional constitution.

Opposition groups have rejected the revised charter, arguing that it lacks consensus and insisting that the 2012 framework remains the only legitimate legal basis for governance.