MOGADISHU: Somalia announced on Thursday that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held next year, despite an increasingly fractured political landscape and worries over mounting instability. The Election Commission said in a statement that parliamentary polls would be held on April 15, followed by a presidential vote on May 15, in line with a rule setting the president's term at five years from the date he is sworn into office.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud assumed power in 2022 but has argued he was given an extra year in the presidency when parliament passed an amended constitution earlier this year that set the framework for elections and extended the vote. Opposition parties boycotted that vote and have rejected the changes. His term ended earlier this year, and his government declared a "transition period" in May.
Mohamud has been attempting to move Somalia towards democratic elections, replacing a system based around clan elders, although regional leaders have opposed his attempts, viewing them as a power grab. With much of the country under the control of the armed group Al Shabaab, little progress has been made on organising elections beyond a few localised pockets. — AFP
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