Saturday September 6, 2025
Former Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, center, receives a certificate of registration for his political party from the National Independent Electoral Commission in Mogadishu, Somalia. The commission registered 14 new parties.
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral Commission on Saturday registered 14 political parties, including groups led by former parliamentary speakers Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden and Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, marking a significant step toward long-promised one-person, one-vote elections.
Commission chair Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan said all the parties had met the legal requirements and were granted certificates of registration. “It is a great honour for us to certify 14 associations that fulfilled the necessary conditions,” he told reporters, noting that prominent political figures were among the founders.
Somalia’s federal government and a breakaway faction of the opposition recently signed a political agreement intended to reshape the country’s path toward elections. Under the deal, members of parliament will be chosen through direct voting, and those lawmakers will in turn elect the president—an arrangement that blends universal suffrage with Somalia’s long-standing parliamentary system.
The accord also reaffirmed checks on executive power: while the president retains the authority to nominate a prime minister, the House of the People must confirm the appointment and can withdraw confidence. Political associations that secure at least 10 percent of parliamentary seats will gain recognition as national parties, a provision aimed at strengthening the multiparty system.
The agreement commits both sides to holding elections at local, state and federal levels under the framework of the 2024 electoral law, though no dates have yet been set. It has won backing from the African Union and IGAD, which hailed the move as progress toward consensus.
Still, the opposition remains divided. Leaders such as Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame have criticized the deal as narrow and unrepresentative, warning that it leaves unresolved disputes with federal member states and risks deepening political rifts.
The 14 registered parties are:
- Peace and Justice [Nabadda iyo Cadaaladda]
- Barwaaqo Party [Ururka Barwaaqo]
- Development and Unity Party [Ururka Horumarka iyo Midnimada]
- Social Salvation Party [Ururka Badbaado Bulsho]
- People’s Democratic Party [Ururka Dimoqraadiga Dadweynaha]
- Damal Party [Ururka Damal]
- National Awakening Party [Ururka Baraaruga Qaran]
- Somali Nationalist Party [Ururka Waddaniga Soomaaliyeed]
- National Democratic Party [Ururka Qaranka Dimoqraadiga]
- Somali Democratic Party [Ururka Dimoqraadiga Soomaaliyeed]
- Somali National Youth Party [Dhalinyarada Qaranka Soomaaliyeed]
- Salvation Party [Ururka Badbaado]
- Somali Justice and Reconstruction Party [Ururka Cadaaladda iyo Dib u Dhiska Soomaaliyeed]
