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Somalia

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

August 2025

Somalia reaches deal with opposition defectors on electoral model
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On 25 August, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reached a political agreement on key elements of the country’s electoral process with four opposition leaders who broke from the Somali Salvation Forum (SSF)—Somalia’s main opposition alliance. The deal affirms that Members of Parliament will be elected by popular vote, while the president will continue to be chosen by lawmakers. This partially reverses the provisional constitutional amendments passed in March 2024 and an October 2024 electoral framework agreement, both of which envisioned a directly elected presidency. While the agreement marks progress away from Somalia’s traditional clan-based, indirect model, full implementation remains uncertain amid ongoing political disputes. Major opposition figures outside the deal continue to reject the reforms or boycott the process, citing security and political concerns, leaving Somalia’s transition to ‘one person, one vote’ incomplete. General elections are expected to take place in 2026.

Sources: Mareeg, Africa News, International Crisis Group, International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2), Garowe Online, Voice of America

April 2025

Somalia launches voter registration ahead of landmark elections

On 13 April, Somalia launched a national voter registration campaign in Mogadishu, marking a key step toward the country’s first one-person, one-vote elections since 1967. The campaign is aimed at preparing for local elections scheduled for late June 2025 and represents a shift away from the country’s long-standing clan-based voting system. In 2023, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pledged to transition Somalia to universal suffrage. Since then, the cabinet has endorsed legislation to support direct presidential elections by 2026. However, opposition leaders, including former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, have rejected the process as unilateral and suggested they may organise a parallel vote.

Sources: Hiiran, The East African, News Central, Africa News, Reuters, International IDEA

March 2024

Constitutional amendments establish directly elected presidency

A package of constitutional amendments was approved by both chambers of the Somali parliament on 30 March. The amendments will significantly change the office of the president. Instead of the current indirect electoral system under which clans select the members of the parliament, which then elects the president, the president will be directly elected under a system of universal suffrage. The term of office will also be extended from four to five years, and the president will gain the power to dismiss the prime minister (previously a power held by the parliament). Another aspect of the amendments is the establishment of a multi-party system with three political parties. The amendments also address the rights of children, setting the ‘age of maturity’ at 15, which advocacy groups argue will maintain a high level of child marriage, particularly for girls. The constitutional amendments have been opposed by many influential actors in Somalia, including the governments of Puntland and Somaliland, and two former presidents. The previous system - with a divided executive - was intended to share power between clans, and these amendments may undermine that. Under the process agreed upon in January, the amendments will remain provisional until there is agreement with the regional government of Somaliland and a referendum is held. 

Sources: The Standard, Africa News (1), Garowe Online (1), Africa News (2), Africa Confidential, Garowe Online (2) 

December 2023

Puntland state reverses plan to establish universal suffrage

In December, the semi-autonomous state of Puntland abandoned a plan to move from a clan-based electoral system to one with universal suffrage. State President Said Abdullahi Deni’s original announcement of the move to universal suffrage in May was met with protests from opposition politicians and a brief period of violence in which at least 26 people died. Since the plan has been abandoned, the parliament remains selected by the leaders of clans across the state, while the state president is elected by the parliament. A new state parliament was sworn in on 1 January 2024, and President Deni was re-elected by the state parliament on 8 January 2024.

Sources: The East African, Reuters, Wardheer News, Garowe Online, United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, International IDEA

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024

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Representation
151/173
Rights
148/173
Rule of Law
151/173
Participation
139/173

Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
18 358 615
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre (since 2022)
Head of government party
Union for Peace and Development Party (UPD)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
No direct elections
Women in lower or single chamber
19%
Women in upper chamber
25.9%
Last legislative election
2022
Head of state
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
90.11%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
No Action
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
No Action
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
No Action
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
Arab Charter on Human Rights
No Action
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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