Somalia’s Opposition Warns Against Extending Federal Government Mandate After Mogadishu Clan Meetings

Somalia’s opposition groups issued a firm warning on Wednesday against any attempt to extend the mandate of the federal government, following a series of meetings held in Mogadishu with clans seen as close to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The opposition declared that the term of the Federal Parliament ends on April 14, 2026, as stipulated in Article 60 of the provisional constitution, and warned President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against extending the political timetable beyond the constitution.

Former leaders and opposition groups accused the federal leadership of pushing Somalia towards a constitutional crisis at a sensitive time for a country already grappling with political divisions and an Islamist insurgency.

Himilo Qaran, the political party led by former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said in a statement that an “illegal overstay” and the destruction of state institutions “can never be accepted,” and accused the presidency of pushing the Horn of Africa nation towards a fresh political crisis.

Former president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmaajo, issued a separate warning, stating that Somalia has entered a dangerous phase affecting security, unity and statehood, and that allowing parliament’s term to expire without seating a newly constituted legislature risks creating “legal confusion, lack of accountability and abuse of power.”

The Somali Future Council, a coalition of opposition groups and regional leaders from Puntland and Jubaland, echoed the criticism and accused Hassan Sheikh of creating the deadlock, saying the president was presenting Somalis with two choices, neither acceptable: a vote “whose outcome is already known” or a slide into “chaos and political turmoil.”

The Somali Future Council also warned against any extension of the terms of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somalia’s federal parliament once their mandates expire, noting that such a move could trigger the same political turmoil that erupted in Mogadishu in 2021.

According to the council, the mandate of parliament expires on April 14, while the president’s term ends on May 15, 2026, under the provisions of the Provisional Constitution of Somalia.

The council urged regional states aligned with the federal government that have not yet held elections to conduct the votes in order to avert a potential political crisis, emphasizing that the only viable path forward is adherence to constitutional timelines, reaching a political settlement on elections and safeguarding Somalia’s federal system.