Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Somalia’s federal government vowed Friday to press ahead with one-person, one-vote elections, even as opposition leaders declared President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate over after three days of talks collapsed.
The rival declarations marked a sharp escalation in Somalia’s political crisis, pitting the government’s push for universal suffrage against opposition demands for a negotiated transition.
The presidency framed direct elections as a constitutional duty and a fundamental democratic right.
The opposition Somali Future Council said Mohamud no longer held legal authority after the expiry of his four-year term on May 15 and should now be treated as a former president.
The standoff has pushed the Horn of Africa nation into one of its most volatile political moments in years, reviving fears of confrontation over executive authority, constitutional legitimacy and the electoral framework.
Direct vote
In a statement issued in Mogadishu, the federal government said Somalia had reached the stage of moving to a democratic system based on universal suffrage.
It said it was fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to conduct direct elections and to guarantee citizens their right to vote and to stand for office.
Authorities said they had held continuous consultations with electoral stakeholders and spent the past three days negotiating with opposition figures.
However, the government accused the opposition of presenting demands that contradicted the public’s basic democratic rights.
“The Federal Government of Somalia shares with the Somali people that the country will hold a one-person, one-vote election that is free, fair, transparent, and in accordance with the constitution,” the statement said.
While saying the door to dialogue remained open, the government made clear it would not abandon the direct election model.
Talks collapse
The Somali Future Council offered a sharply different account, saying internationally backed negotiations held in Mogadishu from May 13 to 15 had failed.
The opposition bloc blamed Mohamud for the collapse, accusing him of rejecting a negotiated transition and measures designed to prevent a constitutional vacuum.
The council said it entered the talks in good faith, with responsibility and transparency, but accused the president of choosing “political confrontation, instability and security unrest.”
The alliance reaffirmed its position that Mohamud’s mandate ended on May 15, 2026, four years after parliament elected him.
Citing Article 91 of the provisional constitution, the council said it now formally recognised him only as a former president.
Mandate dispute
The government and its allies; however, reject the opposition argument.
They say parliament has the authority to amend the constitution and point to recent changes that extended federal mandates from 4 to 5 years.
Opposition leaders reject that extension, arguing Mohamud cannot rely on amendments passed late in his term to prolong his rule without a broad political consensus.
They insist any political process after May 15 requires a negotiated settlement to define the transition period, limit executive authority and establish an agreed electoral roadmap.
The Somali Future Council demanded that the federal government operate under “restrained executive power” during the disputed period.
It said the state should perform only essential administrative functions while avoiding unilateral decisions on politics, elections, the constitution and national security.
The council warned that unilateral moves by Mohamud would heighten tensions, weaken national unity and undermine the war against Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State group.
Appeal to the military
In one of its strongest statements, the opposition bloc urged national security forces to recognise Mohamud as a former president and to refuse to execute his executive orders.
The council called on the military to uphold its constitutional duty to protect the country, while also praising troops fighting militants on the front lines.
The direct appeal to the armed forces is likely to alarm Somalia’s international partners.
Foreign diplomats have repeatedly urged Somali leaders to resolve disputes through dialogue and avoid confrontation that could derail the fight against Al-Shabaab.
Somalia has faced similar mandate crises before. In 2021, a disputed term extension triggered armed clashes in Mogadishu and forced political leaders back to the negotiating table.
Universal suffrage
At the core of the standoff is Somalia’s long-delayed transition from indirect voting to universal suffrage.
For decades, the country has selected leaders through a complex indirect system involving clan elders, delegates and political bargaining.
Successive administrations have promised direct voting, but insecurity, weak institutions and federal-regional friction have repeatedly delayed the shift.
The federal government argues that one-person, one-vote elections would dismantle an elite-driven system and return power to ordinary citizens.
It points to recent local elections in Mogadishu and South West State as evidence that direct voting is both technically and securely feasible.
Opposition leaders say they support democratic elections in principle, but accuse the government of using the direct vote agenda to extend its mandate and shape the electoral framework in its favour.
They argue Somalia needs a negotiated roadmap, credible institutions and security guarantees before any national ballot can take place.
Friday’s duelling statements leave Somalia caught between two competing claims to legitimacy, placing renewed pressure on political leaders and international partners to prevent the deadlock from spiralling into violence.
