MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s federal government and a major opposition faction have reached a landmark agreement on a new electoral framework, breaking a prolonged political deadlock and setting the stage for long-delayed popular elections.
The deal, unveiled in Mogadishu through a joint statement, reaffirms a parliamentary system in which lawmakers will elect the president. It also lays out a roadmap toward long-promised “one person, one vote” elections for parliament and local councils — a goal Somalia has been chasing since it last held a popular vote in 1969.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and representatives of an opposition group that recently split from the larger National Salvation Forum finalized the pact after intensive negotiations.
“We have agreed that Parliament will elect the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” the joint declaration read. At the state level, “the leaders and deputy leaders of federal member states will be chosen by their respective houses of representatives.”
The agreement also states that the president retains the authority to appoint the prime minister. However, the appointment must win parliamentary approval, and lawmakers will hold the power to withdraw confidence if needed.
A path toward ‘one person, one vote’
A cornerstone of the deal is the pledge to move away from the clan-based, indirect electoral model that has shaped Somali politics for more than two decades.
The roadmap envisions direct, universal suffrage for local councils, state assemblies, and both houses of the federal parliament.
To encourage a stronger political party system, the agreement introduces a new threshold: any political association that secures at least 10% of seats in parliament will gain national party recognition.
“We agreed on 70% of what was in the fourth chapter,” said Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, a former prime minister and prominent opposition negotiator. “The issue of political parties, previously capped at three, will shift to a threshold system to avoid fragmentation.”
The accord could prove to be a breakthrough in Somalia’s tense political climate. The National Salvation Forum — a coalition that includes former presidents and influential opposition leaders — was created to resist President Mohamud’s approach to constitutional reforms and elections.
By choosing to engage and strike a deal with the government, a faction of this group may have reshaped the broader political landscape.
President Mohamud welcomed the agreement as a step toward unity.
“I commend the part of the Salvation Forum that today joined us in correcting and straightening the path of state-building,” he said. “The doors of the Federal Government of Somalia remain open for negotiation and the unity of our nation-building efforts.”
He added, “We cannot cling to a system unfamiliar to the world. Somalia must take steps that bring its statehood in line with global norms.”
Overcoming a legacy of indirect polls
Since the collapse of the central government in 1991, Somalia has struggled to restore a stable political order. The 2000 Arta Conference in Djibouti introduced a transitional government and a parliamentary system, a framework upon which this new agreement builds.
But elections since then have relied on indirect methods, with clan elders and delegates selecting lawmakers — a process often criticized for corruption and for keeping the government distant from ordinary citizens.
Achieving a genuine “one person, one vote” system has been a repeated promise by successive administrations, and a key demand from international partners, but progress has consistently stalled.
Alongside the electoral reforms, the agreement also commits both sides to strengthening unity and national security. This includes accelerating joint efforts to liberate areas still under Al-Shabaab control, with the group referred to by the government as “Khawarij.”
The parties further pledged to finalize Somalia’s provisional constitution, giving the state-building process a firmer legal foundation.
