Somali president urges traditional elders to back one-person, one-vote elections

Tuesday April 28, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — In a pointed appeal during a state dinner at the presidential palace on Monday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pressed Somalia’s traditional elders to throw their weight behind universal suffrage as the country moves through a fraught political transition.

The event brought together elders from across Somalia at a moment when debate over the voting system and the shape of future governance has become increasingly intense.

Hassan Sheikh lauded the elders for their longstanding contributions to peacebuilding, reconciliation and state-building, saying they remain essential to preserving national cohesion. He also briefed the gathering on government efforts in security, institutional reform, decentralization and democratization.

“We remain firmly committed to ensuring that the Somali people regain their constitutional right to elect leaders of their choice after 57 years,” he said. “Incomplete electoral processes in the past have left us with many challenges, foremost among them insecurity.”

He urged the traditional leaders to endorse one-person, one-vote elections, saying the move is necessary to establish a political system that is more transparent and genuinely representative.

The elders responded positively, welcoming the dialogue and noting improvements in security and governance, including the campaign against the militant group Al-Shabaab and continuing infrastructure projects.

The meeting comes after a run of prominent gatherings in Mogadishu involving traditional leaders, among them the recent inauguration of Murusade sub-clan leader Ugaas Abdirisaq Ugaas Abdullahi, an event attended by senior government officials and opposition figures.

That renewed outreach to elders is unfolding as political tensions rise over the electoral model and the authority of federal institutions, with growing calls for a wider consensus to prevent further instability.