MOGADISHU, Somalia – The top political leaders of Somalia have agreed to move the country out of the long-standing clan-based power-sharing system to a democratic system, which gives the citizens a right to elect their leaders in a ballot box.
On Wednesday, Villa Somalia announced that the National Consultative Consultative Meeting has ended with a joint communique that said direct local elections will take place in June 2025, followed by the regional parliamentary and leadership elections in Sept 2025.
The country was scheduled to go to the polling stations in June 2024 for local indirect elections and Nov 2024 for parliamentary and regional leadership elections but now the timetable has been pushed to next year. It is unclear if the new electoral agreement could be implemented in the set time.
The deal was signed by Somali President Hassan Sheikh, PM Hamza Abdi Barre, the leaders of Southwest State, Galmudug, and HirShabelle states as well as the mayor of Mogadishu. The regional states of Puntland and Jubaland were not in attendance at the NCC talks and the deal was reached without their signature.
The opposition figures, including former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Abdirahman Abdishakur, have immediately rejected the new election agreement, warning of the consequences of an illegal terms extension for current Federal and State leaders.


HORN LIFE