Somalia Parliament Mandate Expires as President Faces 30-Day Deadline

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia was thrust into a constitutional deadlock on Tuesday after the Federal Parliament’s mandate formally lapsed, prompting a string of resignations from lawmakers even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud began his final 30 days in office.

The four-year terms of both the House of the People and the Upper House expired on April 14. Yet Speaker of the House Adan Madobe had already announced that Parliament would remain in place for another year, a decision meant to support the federal government’s push toward a “one-person, one-vote” voting system — an effort still fiercely opposed by regional states and opposition leaders.

As midnight marked the end of their legal mandate, a number of MPs said they were stepping down, arguing that the extension amounted to a breach of the constitution.

“Since the period for which we were elected has ended, I have decided to uphold the law and return to my constituents,” said one resigning lawmaker. “I do not wish to hold a seat through an extension that lacks broad political consensus.”

The parliamentary standoff comes alongside an equally urgent deadline on the executive side. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has 30 days left in his term, while no clear preparations have been announced for a presidential vote before the May 15 deadline.

The federal government says the extension is necessary to avoid a power vacuum and to complete work on the national electoral framework for 2027.

Still, the wave of resignations and the president’s fast-closing window have intensified pressure on Somalia’s leadership, deepening tensions with regional administrations at a moment of growing political uncertainty.

AXADLETM