Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia’s federal government is pressing ahead with contentious constitutional and electoral reforms, telling international partners that the core tenets of its plan are non-negotiable despite escalating political tensions and urgent calls for broader consensus.
In a recent high-stakes meeting in Mogadishu, a senior ministerial committee informed diplomats from the C6+ group of international partners that while the government is open to “technical” discussions, it will not reverse course on the foundational changes already approved by parliament.
The government’s unyielding stance sets the stage for a deeper confrontation with a formidable opposition coalition and key regional states, which argue that the reforms are being pushed through without adequate dialogue, thereby threatening the nation’s fragile stability.
A high-level government team, including Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hoosh, Education Minister Farah Abdulkadir, and Justice Minister Hassan Macallin Mohamud, attended the meeting. They met with the C6+, an influential body of Somalia’s core international partners, which includes the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and the United Nations, tasked with coordinating political engagement.
“The Federal Government of Somalia is committed to a state-building process based on dialogue, consensus, consultation, transparency, and broad public participation,” a government statement declared after the meeting.
However, sources confirm the ministers delivered a stark message: the path to a direct, one-person, one-vote election and the recently ratified amendments to the first four chapters of the provisional constitution are irreversible.
The international community has expressed significant reservations. According to sources present, the C6+ diplomats urged the Somali ministers to prioritize national unity by bringing dissenting federal member states, specifically Puntland and Jubaland, back into the fold.
The partners emphasized the importance of reaching a comprehensive political agreement on the country’s future governance model before proceeding with further constitutional work and preparations for the landmark universal suffrage elections, the first in over five decades.
This international pressure follows a similar meeting between the C6+ and the “Salvation Forum,” a new opposition alliance comprising prominent political figures. The opposition leaders, including former presidents and prime ministers, accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of shunning “genuine dialogue” and unilaterally shaping the nation’s foundational laws.
The political crisis stems from sweeping changes to Somalia’s provisional constitution, which the federal parliament passed in March. The amendments, among other things, shift the country from a parliamentary system to a complete presidential system, giving the president the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister without parliamentary approval.
These reforms prompted the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, a veteran federal member, to withdraw its recognition of the federal government, declaring it would operate independently until a national referendum validated the constitutional changes. Relations with Jubaland have also frayed, with the state accusing the central government of political interference and marginalization.
The government maintains that the reforms are essential for creating a stable and functional state after decades of civil war and clan-based politics. President Mohamud’s administration is championing a move away from the complex 4.5 clan-based power-sharing formula to a system of direct elections and a limited number of political parties.
Critics, however, fear that without a comprehensive consensus, these rapid changes could fracture the delicate federal structure and unravel years of state-building efforts.
In a sign of its increasingly assertive posture, the Somali government has recently informed the international community that it seeks to alter the dynamics of its engagement, stating that the C6+ forum is an “obsolete structure” and that future interactions must be conducted through formally recognized government institutions.
As the government delegation holds firm on its reform agenda, and with opposition and regional leaders digging in their heels, Somalia stands at a critical juncture. The calls from its international allies for inclusivity and dialogue now hang in the balance, with the nation’s political future dependent on whether its leaders can bridge the widening divide.