Monday August 25, 2025
Somali government and opposition leaders stand together as officials announce a landmark agreement on the country’s next elections after two months of negotiations, Mogadishu, August 25, 2025. CREDIT / SONNA
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s federal government and the Somali Salvation Forum announced Monday they had reached a landmark agreement on how to conduct the country’s next elections, a step both sides say is meant to strengthen national unity and accelerate the state-building process.
The accord was concluded after two months of negotiations.
Under the deal, the Federal Parliament will elect the president, while leaders of federal member states will directly choose members of parliament. The president will have the authority to appoint a prime minister, subject to approval or dismissal by the House of the People.
The framework also sets a political threshold, granting national party status to any organization that secures at least 10 percent of seats in parliament.
Officials said the next elections will be based on the 2024 electoral law, with preparations for local, state, and federal polls beginning immediately. Both sides pledged to finalize Somalia’s provisional constitution to provide legal clarity and stronger institutional foundations.
The roadmap calls for a gradual transition toward direct voting in which citizens will cast ballots themselves, with both government and opposition parties participating in the process.
The deal seeks to resolve Somalia’s long-running electoral stalemate, which has repeatedly triggered disputes and delayed transitions as leaders debated how to move from a clan-based power-sharing system to direct, one-person, one-vote elections.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the accord as a turning point for the country. “The door to state-building is now open for the Somali people,” he said, pledging that the government would ensure all stakeholders have a voice in the process.
In a joint communiqué, the government and the Rescue Forum stressed that the agreement reaffirms Somalia’s sovereignty and unity, while aligning political efforts with ongoing military operations to expel al-Shabab from remaining strongholds.
The deal, however, comes as the Rescue Forum itself is divided, with one faction backing the government’s electoral blueprint and another rejecting it, raising concerns over its implementation.
Somalia has long struggled to establish a stable electoral system, with repeated delays and disputes over voting models stalling its democratization process. The parties urged all political stakeholders to unite behind the new framework as a way to end the cycle of uncertainty.
