Somalia sets date for delayed presidential election

Constitutional amendments have pushed back the vote to May 2027 despite objections from former presidents and opposition leaders

Somalia has scheduled its presidential election for May 15, 2027, following constitutional changes that extended President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term by one year, the country’s electoral commission announced on Thursday. The decision comes amid opposition criticism of the amendments adopted earlier this year.

The announcement was made by Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, chairman of the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, during an appearance on state television. Elections for both chambers of parliament will take place on April 15, one month before the presidential vote, he said. 

The commission also released a timetable for preparations, with voter and political party registration set to begin on November 1, 2026, according to the Somali National News Agency (SONNA).

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Mohamud’s presidential term was originally due to expire in May 2026. However, constitutional amendments approved by parliament in March extended the presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years, pushing elections back to 2027. Opposition leaders, including former presidents and prime ministers, rejected the changes and called for elections to be held as originally scheduled.

Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has challenged the constitutional amendments in the Supreme Court, arguing that they were adopted without proper legal procedures or broad political agreement. He also rejected the new election timetable, warning that it could lead to “parallel elections, political divisions, internal conflict and a threat to Somalia’s statehood,” Somalia Today reported on Thursday.

Somalia last held a presidential election in 2022, when lawmakers elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for a second term, defeating Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The vote followed months of delays and was conducted through an indirect system in which members of parliament chose the president.

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The country also faces continuing security challenges from Al-Shabaab, an armed group affiliated with Al-Qaeda that has fought Somalia’s federal government since 2007. The terrorist group conducts raids, bombings, and targeted assassinations in an effort to destabilize the Somali government and regional security structures, and also establish its own rule based on a hardline interpretation of Sharia law.