A member of parliament of Somalia’s Jubbaland State casts her vote during an election. Direct elections mean that the people, even the marginalised, can not only choose their leaders, but can also hold them accountable.
Somalia may have faced challenges, but it is also committed to transitioning to a stable democracy.
In 2024, for example, we engaged in a thorough process in which the Federal Government of Somalia successfully passed laws essential for implementing universal suffrage in the country.
This initiative is anticipated to alter Somalia's future significantly and make the vision of establishing a framework for direct elections in 2025 a reality. The upcoming national elections will be the first of their kind in Somalia in 56 years, more than half a century. The elections will be held at local, regional and municipal levels in June 2025. Candidates for Members of Parliament and Presidents of Federal States will face the ballot in September the same year.
For over 50 years, Somalia has experienced different political systems, including a military regime and indirect elections used by administrations established after the military's collapse, all while seeking solutions to the country's challenges.
In the indirect elections’ formula, only a handful of people within the political elite would determine the fate of the whole nation. The ordinary citizen was denied their right to choose their own leader creating a feeling of discontent and lack of a sense of ownership of the country’s affairs and development.
Indirect elections were first adopted in 2000 during the Somalia National Peace Conference, also known as the Djibouti Conference, which brought together clan elders, intellectuals, religious leaders and businesspersons among other notable figures in the city of Arta, Djibouti. During this conference, a clan-based power-sharing formula was agreed upon and has been responsible for six successive governments since. Under this system, 275 members of Somalia’s Parliament, known as The House of the People, are chosen by delegates representing different clans who are selected by regional state officials. The country also has an Upper House made up of 54 members chosen by the parliaments of the Federal States. It is these 329 members who then vote for the President who leads the Federal Government of Somalia.
This system, despite its challenges, has worked efficiently as a placeholder but the desire has always been to give Somali citizens a say in the running of their own country. To give the people a voice and a stake in the political, social and economic fortunes of their motherland.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre have clearly and decisively declared that the era of indirect elections is over, and the country must now prepare to empower its citizens to fully exercise their democratic rights.
The passage of new election laws that established an Election Committee was the first and key step towards national elections by universal suffrage in 2025. The 18-member Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which was approved by Parliament on November 27, will oversee crucial processes in the lead-up to the elections, as well as the vote itself at all levels of government.
On December 2, the body elected Mr Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan as its chair and he said the commission’s priority will include overseeing the establishment of operational protocols, manage voter registration and secure elections in areas threatened by the Kharijites (al-Shabaab).
The new electoral laws were passed following wide consultations with key stakeholders at all of levels of government under the umbrella of the National Consultative Council led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. During the NCC meetings, the need for free, fair and transparent elections was emphasised. Leaders urged for systems and processes that will yield elections and outcomes that reflect the aspirations and true will of the people of Somalia.
These changes are amongst wide-ranging reforms under the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The 2022 indirect elections, which saw President Mohamud elected for a second term, left many Somalis feeling disenfranchised and denied the opportunity to elect their own representatives.
This simply cannot continue. It is time for Somalia to step into the 21st Century. A time for the people to have a sense of power and ownership over their own development, security and shared livelihoods. An opportunity for the majority to have their way and for the minority to have their say.
The destinies of more than eighteen million Somalis cannot continue to be left in the hands of a few political elites. It is time for a change. It is time for Somalia to take its place on the global stage as signalled by its admission to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member and integration into the East African Community.
Direct elections mean that the people, even the marginalised, can not only choose their leaders, but can also hold them accountable. This high level of accountability boosts governance and ensures peace and stability. Proper governance ensures equitable distribution of resources, stimulating development down to the grassroots. In turn, this improves the socio-economic livelihoods of the people and the nation as a whole. A boost in governance and political and economic structures would also provide much needed support in efforts to combat the al-Shabaab militia and usher in a new era of stability.
But now, as expected, those who have benefitted from indirect elections and its inequalities for decades are up in arms. They say that it cannot work – because they do not want it to work. How can they know that it will not work if they do not try it? Why not put national interests and democracy above sense of self? Where is the patriotism? Where is their passion for the land they call home? It is in the interest of every Somali citizen to see the country rise out of the ashes of turmoil, lawlessness and strife and enter a new era of peace, prosperity and democracy.
I call on every Somali citizen – at home and abroad – to join hands in making this dream of elections by universal suffrage a reality. It will be a challenging road ahead, but no roadblock is insurmountable for a united people, a nation unbowed and determined to shape a new course for its future. Citizens of Somalia should vehemently oppose any selfish attempts to maintain the status quo. It is all systems go, full steam ahead for 2025 one-person, one-vote elections. There is no turning back. The people shall have their say in 2025 and in 2026. Let us all work together to make this vision a reality.
Daud Aweis is the minister for Information, Culture and Tourism of Federal Government of Somalia.
