Somalia Ex-President Warns of Leadership Vacuum as Parliament Mandate Expires

Somalia: Ex-President Warns of Leadership Vacuum as Parliament Mandate Expires

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Tuesday said the Federal Parliament’s constitutional mandate expired on April 14, 2026, warning that Somalia is sliding into a period of “rising political uncertainty.”

Farmaajo said parliamentary business “can only resume after new elections are held,” pushing back against a one-year extension announced by the leadership of the House of the People. His intervention gives fresh momentum to mounting opposition to the federal government’s current path.

Turning directly to his successor, Farmaajo said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has “only one month left in office under his mandate,” which is due to end on May 15. He called on the administration to set out an urgent and credible election roadmap to prevent what he described as a full constitutional vacuum.

“Any further delays could worsen Somalia’s humanitarian, economic, and security challenges,” Farmaajo cautioned, echoing concerns long voiced by regional states and international observers.

The statement landed at a tense moment for the Horn of Africa country. Earlier Tuesday, several lawmakers resigned rather than accept the parliamentary extension. Although the federal government says the move is needed to deliver a “one-person, one-vote” election system by 2027, critics have denounced it as an unlawful attempt to cling to power.

The dispute has deepened the divide between Mogadishu and regional administrations, adding another layer of difficulty to Somalia’s already fragile stabilization efforts amid persistent security threats.

AXADLETM