Somalia presidential election.
Reuters reported that Mohamud reached a deal last August with some opposition leaders that envisioned direct elections for lawmakers in 2026, while the president would still be chosen by parliament.
Somalia’s parliament has approved constitutional changes that leaders said will extend the terms of lawmakers and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and delay planned elections by a year, adding to political tensions as the country approaches the end of its current mandates.
The vote on March 5 was confirmed publicly by the president and the parliament speaker, according to Reuters. Opposition figures have criticized the changes and warned against any move they say could undermine the constitutional order.
- Advertisement -
Election timetable and model at the center of dispute
Somalia has long used an indirect electoral system in which clan-based selection processes help determine members of parliament, who then elect the president. Mohamud himself returned to office through that system after parliament elected him in 2022.
Reuters reported that Mohamud reached a deal last August with some opposition leaders that envisioned direct elections for lawmakers in 2026, while the president would still be chosen by parliament.
Supporters of the constitutional changes have presented them as part of broader efforts to revise and finalize Somalia’s governance framework, while critics argue the process risks being used to prolong time in power and deepen divisions.
Recent tensions in parliament
The election dispute has played out in Somalia’s legislature, where scuffles and shouting broke out during a joint parliamentary session on Jan. 28 after the speaker sought to advance proposed constitutional amendments, the Associated Press reported. Opposition lawmakers said the proposals at the time would extend parliament’s mandate, and the session was suspended.
Somalia has operated under a provisional constitution since 2012, and efforts to amend it have repeatedly exposed disagreements over governance and the balance of power between the federal government and regional administrations, the AP reported.
A previous attempt to extend political mandates under former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed triggered a constitutional crisis in 2021 and led to armed confrontations in Mogadishu, according to the AP.