Somali Future Council Challenges Legitimacy of New Parliamentary Speaker
MOGADISHU, Aug. 11 — Somalia’s Somali Future Council has challenged the election of a new parliamentary speaker, saying the Federal Parliament’s constitutional mandate expired on April 14, 2026, and that lawmakers consequently had no legal authority to conduct the vote.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the council said parliament could not extend its own mandate unilaterally. It maintained that the terms of state institutions must be determined by the constitution and an inclusive political agreement.
The council cautioned that elections and other political decisions held amid questions over institutional legitimacy could produce results that lack broad recognition and further intensify Somalia’s political divisions.
It urged political consultations to settle disputes over elections and mandates, arguing that constitutional amendments and other major national decisions should not proceed without broad-based agreement.
The statement was released hours after lawmaker Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur Jama won election as speaker of Somalia’s House of the People during a vote at the parliamentary headquarters in Mogadishu.
Jama received 142 votes, defeating Abdulqadir Omar Moalim, who won 30. Two ballots were invalidated.
AXADLETM
