Letter from Mogadishu: President extends his tenure for one year

 

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signs the new constitution into law on March 8, 2026 in Mogadishu. [Courtesy, Villa Somalia, X]

Somalia seems to be headed into a political conundrum with the signing into law of the contentious 2012 provisional charter into the country’s constitution.

While President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday signed the document into law, thus completing a contentious review process that replaces the 2012 provisional charter, it opened fresh controversy.

The provisional constitution provided for a four-year cycle, while the new document advocates for a five-year cycle for federal institutions.

To complicate matters, the tenure for both houses of parliament is set for April 14, 2026, while the president’s mandate was to come to an end on May 15, 2026.

The signing into law of the document adopted by the legislators extended the life of both the parliament and the president’s tenure by one more year. And herein lies the problem.

The first to throw a salvo was Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council (SFC), which on Monday warned against any delay in upcoming national elections, citing constitutional deadlines and the risk of renewed political instability.

In a statement, the council cited the expiry period for parliament and the president, demanding that elections be held on time to safeguard the constitutional order.

The council said Somalia is at a critical phase that requires responsible leadership, political tolerance and adherence to the rule of law to prevent further instability.

The signing ceremony, held at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, followed the constitution’s approval last week by both chambers of the Federal Parliament in a joint session.

The latest fallout between the government and opposition comes after failed attempts to have a consultative conference bringing the two sides, plus leaders of the regional governments.

 Last month, two attempts to have the president and the opposition agree on the electoral process and timelines floundered, with the last meeting on February 18 ending without an agreement on the way forward.

 While the international community, which had pushed the two sides to meet and thrash out a workable formula for the elections, was left scrambling to salvage the talks, SFC warned that they would meet in April and draw a parallel process for elections.

 On the other hand, Villa Somalia has maintained a studious silence since the consultative conference with the opposition collapsed, but is deliberately working behind the scenes to delay elections.

 On paper, the disagreement between the two parties stems from the electoral system to be adopted-SFC is pushing for the tried-and-tested indirect election while Villa Somalia wants universal suffrage.

 The opposition has argued that the timeframe yo have Somalis register as voters and the security situation in the country were not tenable to have one-person one-vote to be adopted.

On the other hand, President Mohamud has been very upbeat about the one-person one-vote system, even going so far as to have residents of Mogadishu to register as voters mid-last year.

 While it may be seen as a disagreement based on fundamental issues around elections, in reality, the government is buying an extra year in power.

 On the day he signed the Federal Constitution into law, Mohamud was very categorical that its implementation would start immediately.

 He acknowledged that the journey of reviewing and ratifying the constitution had been long, but after the parliamentary amendments, its implementation was immediate.

Following the parliamentary vote, Speaker of the House of the People Sheikh Aadan Mohamed Nur Madoobe announced that federal institutions would henceforth operate under the five-year framework set out in the new constitution, effectively adding one year to the current term.

Those allied to President Mohamud describe the revised constitution as a milestone in Somalia’s state-building process, arguing that it clarifies the division of powers, strengthens institutions and completes a long-delayed constitutional review covering all 13 chapters in the document.

But opposition figures accuse the federal government of using constitutional amendments to cling to power and alter the political timetable without a broad national consensus.

Lawmakers aligned with SFC, an opposition coalition that includes leaders from Puntland and Jubbaland, largely boycotted the parliamentary vote.

The coalition called on federal leaders, politicians and other stakeholders to respect the constitution and uphold the system of governance.

The statement also called on federal member states to conduct their own elections in accordance with constitutional principles and the federal framework, saying this would help strengthen cooperation and trust between different levels of government.

The latest move by Mohamud is reminiscent of the 2021 political crisis, when a dispute over a proposed term extension triggered tensions and security unrest in Mogadishu, as a warning against repeating past mistakes.

How Somalia navigates through the latest political conundrum will test the patience of its leaders and its restless population.

Meanwhile, the effects of the war in the Middle East are already having ramifications in the East African region.

Bajaj (tuktuk) drivers in Mogadishu were the first to feel the heat with soaring fuel prices and the rising cost of living. They hit the streets of the capital city to express their disgust.

But they ran into a brick-wall with the government swinging into action and detaining some of the protesters. This attracted the ire of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, who criticised authorities for detaining drivers who were demonstrating peacefully to express concerns about inflation and worsening economic conditions.

He called on the government to immediately halt what he described as a crackdown on protesters and to release the arrested youth without delay.

According to traders and transport operators, the price of gasoline in Mogadishu has more than doubled from about 65 cents per litre to roughly $1.50 in less than two weeks.

The increase has placed significant strain on Bajaj operators and taxi drivers, who provide much of the capital’s public transport, forcing some to raise fares.

The rising fuel prices are likely to be felt across the region and with it, protests like those seen in Mogadishu this week.