MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s bicameral parliament has passed a new electoral law that includes a provision (Article 82, Section 2) declaring any election not in line with the law as invalid. The move comes amid rising political tensions over the country’s shift to a one-person, one-vote system.
The law’s passage coincides with Jubaland, a regional state in Somalia, preparing for an indirect presidential election in Kismayo on Monday. If the election goes ahead as planned, other regional states may follow suit, challenging the unified election process championed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Jubaland has already cut ties with the Somali government and vowed to proceed with its own election, arguing that the country’s provisional constitution gives regional states the right to hold their own elections until their state constitutions are aligned with the national framework.
Puntland, Somalia’s oldest federal member state, has backed Jubaland’s move. Puntland also severed ties with President Mohamud’s government, protesting constitutional changes made without consulting regional states. The two regions are now opposing the president’s electoral reforms.
Since President Mohamud proposed transitioning Somalia from its long-standing indirect electoral system to a direct voting method, parliament has amended parts of the provisional constitution and passed new electoral laws at his request.
Critics are raising concerns about Somalia’s readiness for a nationwide election after more than three decades. Some are also questioning President Mohamud’s push for a unified electoral system, especially since he was elected in 2022 through the same indirect process he now seeks to change.
President Mohamud has failed to learn from past mistakes, proposing similar electoral reforms that his predecessor, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, was unable to push through.
For decades, Somalia has not had a nationwide electoral system. Since 1969, key positions like president, prime minister, and speaker have been filled based on clan representation.
