Somali National News Agency
So
Ar
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
    Local NewsShow More
    Somali Delegation Led by Deputy Information Minister Bolsters Media and Diplomatic Ties in Ankara
    May 23, 2025
    Somalia Showcases Health Development Progress at Landmark Geneva Event
    May 23, 2025
    Hiran Traditional Elders Donate Aid to Frontline Hirshabelle Forces
    May 23, 2025
    Somali Ambassador to Rwanda Engages Diaspora in Kigali, Commits to Enhanced Cooperation
    May 23, 2025
    SoDMA Commissioner Welcomes IGAD Climate & Environment Head to Discuss Disaster Resilience
    May 23, 2025
  • World News
    World NewsShow More
    Israel pounds Gaza, killing 50; Canada, France, UK threaten sanctions
    May 20, 2025
    Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Situation in Libya
    May 17, 2025
    2 dead and at least 3 injured in Las Vegas gym shooting, police say
    May 17, 2025
    Arab League summit kicks off in Baghdad with Gaza at the top of the agenda
    May 17, 2025
    Royal Commission for AlUla and UNESCO Open “Deep Surfaces” Exhibition at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
    May 11, 2025
  • Articles
    ArticlesShow More
    From Yunnan to Somalia: A Path Out of Poverty
    May 13, 2025
    Doha Hosts the 26th Session of the Council Conference of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy
    May 4, 2025
    A Nation in Resistance: Somalia’s Twin-Front War Against ISIS and al-Shabaab
    May 2, 2025
    The First Step Toward Reclaiming My Lost Rights
    April 28, 2025
    Community Delegation Brings Aid to Frontline Troops in Somalia’s Galgaduud region
    April 23, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Somalia Unveils the Blueprint for a Modern and Sustainable Mogadishu
    December 21, 2024
    Djibouti Launches $57.4 Million Youth Entrepreneurship Project to Combat Climate Change
    November 25, 2024
    FM meets Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia
    October 28, 2024
    President Hassan Sheikh Inaugurates New LPG Storage Center in Mogadishu
    May 12, 2024
    Collaboration of ICT transformation for digital Infrastructure
    October 24, 2023
  • Sports
    SportsShow More
    Arsenal held at Brighton while Man City bounce-back continues
    January 5, 2025
    Galmudug wins the Inter-State Football Tournament
    January 29, 2024
    Somalia set for two int’l friendlies ahead of WC qualifier clashes against Algeria and Uganda
    October 10, 2023
    Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver
    October 3, 2023
    Wolves 2-1 Manchester City: City suffer first league defeat of season
    October 1, 2023
  • Tenders
    TendersShow More
    Quay Renovation Works – Supply and Installation of Fenders and Bollards
    April 11, 2025
Reading: 2025 one-person, one-vote elections will herald a new era of democracy in Somalia
Share
Font ResizerAa
Somali National News AgencySomali National News Agency
  • SOMALI
  • ARABIC
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
Follow US
©2023 || All rights reserved SONNA
Somali National News Agency > Blog > Articles > 2025 one-person, one-vote elections will herald a new era of democracy in Somalia
Articles

2025 one-person, one-vote elections will herald a new era of democracy in Somalia

By Abdullahi Hussein
Last updated: December 4, 2024
9 Min Read
Share

2025 one-person, one-vote elections will herald a new era of democracy in Somalia


“Nothing else in the world – not all the armies – is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.”

– Victor Hugo, The Future of Man

By Daud Aweis

A thorough process and commitment to the Federal Government of Somalia have successfully resulted in the passage of laws essential for implementing universal suffrage in the country by the Federal Parliament.

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 56 years, that is 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 the year 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 27th November will oversee crucial processes in the leadup to the elections, as well as the vote itself at all levels of government.  On 2 December, the body elected Mr. Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan as its chair and he said the commission’s priority will include to oversee the establishment of operational protocols, manage voter registration and secure elections in areas threatened by the Kharijites Al Shabab.

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 emphasized. 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 disenfrancised and denied a 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 marginalized 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 roadblaock 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.

The author is the Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism

H.E. Daud Aweis Jama

Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Copy Link Print

MORE NEWS

Official Reopening of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives

CultureEducationLocal News
November 23, 2024

Kenya’s small farmers find respite in avocados amid changing climate

NAIROBI(SONNA) As crop diseases and pests rise in Kenya amid a rapidly changing climate that…

March 11, 2023

Somali Delegation Led by Deputy Information Minister Bolsters Media and Diplomatic Ties in Ankara

Ankara, Turkey (SONNA) – A high-level Somali delegation, led by the Deputy Minister of Information,…

May 23, 2025

Nimcaan Hilaac appointed to lead Waberi National Band

Mogadishu (SONNA)-Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Mohamed…

March 3, 2020

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

The Somali Diaspora’s Vital Role in Combating the Khawarij and Advancing Stability in Somalia

The Somali Diaspora is a crucial component of Somali society, providing significant support during times of natural disasters and droughts,…

Articles
February 16, 2023

Desert Locust situation update on 6th of January 2022: Small swarms form in NE Somalia (Report)

OVERVIEW. Control operations are continuing against a limited number of small immature swarms in northeast Somalia that formed last month from local…

ArticlesNews
January 6, 2022

Opinion: Preparing Somalia for 1P1V—Security, Stability, and Strategy

Historical Context of Somali Elections Somalia’s journey toward establishing a democratic electoral system has been long and fraught with challenges.…

ArticlesLocal NewsOpinionPolitics
August 16, 2024

Turkey-Somalia relations: Opportunities and patterns for collaboration

Mogadishu(SONNA)-Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Somalia on March 16 this year, Turkey has sent four planes…

ArticlesNewsWorld News
March 9, 2023

Somali National News Agency established in 1964. It is one of the main pillars of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.

  • Home
  • Local News
  • World News
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Tenders
  • SNTV
  • RADIO MOGADISHU
  • DALKA JOURNAL
  • TOURISM DEPARTMENT

Follow US: 

  • MoICT
  • VILLA SOMALIA
  • OPM SOMALIA

All rights reserved SONNA

©2023

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?