The bicameral parliament of Somalia has approved a new constitution after a 13-year process, extending the terms of the president and lawmakers while pushing back planned national elections.
Lawmakers from both the lower house and the senate voted in favour of the amendments during a joint sitting in Mogadishu. Of 329 legislators, 222 backed the move, which would increase the term of office for both the president and members of parliament from four years to five.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described the decision as the formal completion of a constitutional process that had remained unfinished for more than a decade.
“Today is a historic day for it is the official completion of the constitution, which had dragged for a long period,” the president said during a press conference after the vote.
The approval marks a significant moment in Somalia’s long effort to rebuild national institutions following decades of political instability.
The vote concludes a constitutional review process that began more than a decade ago as Somalia sought to strengthen its political framework after years of conflict and weak central authority.
Since the collapse of the government of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has struggled to rebuild stable national institutions while dealing with clan rivalries, political fragmentation, and persistent insecurity.
Although an African Union peacekeeping mission has helped push back the militant group Al Shabaab in several regions, the group still controls large parts of the countryside and continues to carry out attacks in major towns and cities.
The constitutional changes also affect the country’s electoral timeline.
Under the new framework approved by parliament, the terms of both the president and lawmakers are extended to five years, effectively delaying the next round of national elections by about a year.
The decision modifies earlier political agreements reached in 2024 and 2025 aimed at preparing the country for broader electoral reforms. In 2024, Somalia passed legislation restoring universal suffrage, a major step toward allowing citizens to directly elect representatives after years of indirect voting systems based on clan structures.
Last August, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reached a political agreement with some opposition leaders. The deal proposed that members of parliament would be directly elected in 2026, while the president would continue to be chosen by lawmakers.
The constitutional amendments have drawn sharp criticism from several opposition figures in the country.
A group of opposition leaders, including former presidents and former prime ministers, rejected the changes and called for elections to proceed according to the previously agreed timetable. They argue that extending the current terms could undermine political consensus and delay democratic reforms.
Despite the political disagreement, supporters of the constitutional changes say the move is necessary to stabilise governance and complete institutional reforms before the country transitions to a broader electoral system.
The adoption of the constitution represents a milestone in the state-building process of Somalia, even as the country continues to face security challenges and complex political negotiations over the future of its electoral system.
