Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Talks between Somalia’s federal government and opposition groups ended without agreement on Monday after the two sides failed to bridge deep divisions over the system and management of the country’s next elections.
International mediators brought the parties together inside the heavily fortified compound of Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, raising hopes of a breakthrough after months of political tension.
But delegates left without issuing a joint statement after failing to agree on whether Somalia should hold the planned direct elections through political parties or retain elements of the country’s clan-based power-sharing system.
Both the government and the opposition support allowing Somali citizens to vote directly, marking a major departure from previous elections in which clan delegates selected lawmakers, who then elected the president.
However, they remain divided over how to turn that shared commitment into an electoral system that can command broad political support.
The federal government wants a nationwide one-person, one-vote election in which candidates compete through registered political parties.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has repeatedly argued that Somalia must move away from personality- and clan-based politics and establish formal political organisations with clear policies.
“We need the politics of parties, just like civilised nations,” Hassan said in a speech in June.
A candidate should belong to “a political party with a known manifesto”, present that programme to the public and ask voters directly for their support, he added.
Rival election models
The Somali Future Council, which includes leading opposition figures and the Puntland and Jubaland administrations, has proposed a transitional direct election that would preserve the 4.5 clan power-sharing formula.
Under the council’s proposal, Somali citizens would directly elect members of parliament in designated constituencies, but the authorities would continue allocating parliamentary seats according to the existing clan quota.
“The new process is consistent with the right of Somali citizens to freely and directly elect their representatives, while preserving the 4.5 clan representation system,” the council said when it announced the plan.
The 4.5 arrangement divides representation equally among four major clan families, while minority communities collectively receive half a share.
The formula helped Somalia form successive governments after decades of conflict, but critics say it has entrenched clan influence, encouraged corruption and denied ordinary citizens a meaningful political choice.
The Future Council describes its proposal as a temporary compromise that would introduce direct public participation without immediately dismantling the political arrangements that have shaped representation for years.
Opposition demands
Opposition has also demanded that the federal government suspend elections it is organising in federal member states until the government and opposition reach a national agreement.
Government negotiators rejected attempts to include those elections in Monday’s discussions, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
The two sides also disagreed over who should administer the vote.
The federal government supports a single National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to oversee elections across the country.
The Future Council instead wants both federal and state-level electoral bodies, arguing that a jointly managed process would reduce the risk of the federal government controlling the outcome.
The parties also failed to agree on where voting should take place.
Some opposition representatives want to limit elections to selected cities and secure constituencies because of insecurity, weak government control and the absence of reliable voter registers across large parts of the country.
The federal government and some opposition groups insist that the authorities should conduct direct elections as widely as possible across Somalia.
Search for compromise
Former president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s Nabad iyo Nolol movement has presented a separate party-based proposal under which voters would register and cast their ballots on the same day.
Under its plan, citizens would vote for political parties, with parliamentary seats allocated according to each party’s share of the vote.
The movement has nevertheless insisted that the government and opposition must jointly agree on election management, security arrangements and a timetable before voting begins.
Türkiye has played a leading role in facilitating the negotiations, while representatives from the United States, Britain, the European Union and the United Nations have also supported efforts to break the deadlock.
Participants described an earlier round of talks as open and constructive, and both sides promised to continue an inclusive dialogue.
But Monday’s failure highlighted the scale of the remaining divisions and weakened hopes that the government and opposition were moving towards a comprehensive settlement.
International partners now plan to develop a compromise proposal combining elements of the competing models, according to people briefed on the mediation.
The possible formula could retain aspects of clan representation for a transitional period while allowing citizens to vote directly and giving both federal and regional authorities a role in managing the process.
Somalia held direct local council elections in Mogadishu in December 2025, the capital’s first one-person, one-vote poll in decades.
Major opposition groups boycotted the vote, however, and accused the federal government of acting unilaterally.
The wider election dispute has already contributed to political unrest, including armed clashes between government forces and opposition-aligned fighters in Mogadishu in June.
The parties have not announced a date for another round of negotiations.
The failed talks leave Somalia’s political leaders united in principle behind direct elections but deeply divided over the rules, institutions and political structure needed to deliver them.
