Somalia - August 2025
Somalia reaches deal with opposition defectors on electoral model
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
