Somali president backs direct elections, says indirect voting fueled violence

Sunday May 17, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday mounted a forceful defense of Somalia’s push for one-person, one-vote elections, arguing that the country’s indirect voting system has too often fueled violence, arrests and political uncertainty.

Addressing the public in Mogadishu, Mohamud said Somalia needs to leave behind a model in which political representatives are chosen through clan-based, indirect arrangements. He said direct voting would allow citizens to select their leaders without intermediaries.

“Have there ever been indirect elections that have not resulted in deaths?” Mohamud said, pointing to past disputed votes in Baidoa, Garowe, Dhuusamareeb and Mogadishu. He said those contests ended in deaths, detentions and confrontation between political rivals.

The president said the federal government is pursuing one-person, one-vote elections as part of a wider political transition that also includes constitutional reform and the creation of a multiparty system.

Mohamud also said the term of Somalia’s federal institutions will expire on May 15, 2027, not May 15, 2026. He said that timeline stems from the newly adopted constitution and was not a personal choice.

His remarks came after opposition figures رفضed the constitutional amendments and accused the government of using them to keep Mohamud in power beyond his current mandate without broad political agreement.

Mohamud insisted his government is carrying out commitments made earlier to finalize the constitution, build political parties and end the indirect voting system that has shaped Somali politics for years.

Opposition leaders argue the administration is moving forward with sweeping political changes without enough consensus from federal member states, opposition figures and other stakeholders. Federal officials counter that Somalia must shift to direct elections to widen participation and strengthen democratic governance.

The standoff deepened after three days of talks between the federal government and representatives of the Somali Future Council ended without a deal. The negotiations, held in Mogadishu from May 13 to 15, centered on elections, constitutional amendments and the broader political transition.

The African Union Commission and the United Nations have both urged Somali leaders to return to the table and seek a wider settlement. The AU said it regretted the collapse of the talks and called on all political stakeholders to avoid hardening their positions.

The fight over Somalia’s electoral system has become one of the sharpest political challenges facing Mohamud’s government, with the opposition warning that unilateral reforms could further destabilize the country and the administration arguing that direct elections are the only route to a more representative political order.