Somalia faces a political split after Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni vowed to stop recognizing the federal government if no political agreement is reached by May 15, while President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hosted a rival meeting with traditional elders at Villa Somalia on April 27 to reaffirm his commitment to direct elections.
The dueling events underscore a deepening constitutional crisis. Deni rejects federal parliament’s March amendments extending presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years, insisting President Mohamud’s mandate expires on May 15. In response, Hassan Sheikh is mobilizing traditional elders as key allies to support a “one person, one vote” system, framing the dispute as a defense of democratic rights rather than a power grab.
Speaking in Badhan on Monday, Deni declared that after May 15, “the federal government will no longer be considered in existence” unless a consensus-based solution is found. Puntland has already withdrawn recognition of federal institutions.
One day earlier, Hassan Sheikh welcomed clan elders from across Somalia to a luncheon at the presidential palace. According to a Villa Somalia statement, he praised their role in peacebuilding and nation‑state consolidation.
The president stressed that returning electoral power to the people is non‑negotiable. “We will never compromise on Somalis obtaining their constitutional right to elect the leader they want after 57 years,” he said. He urged elders to support implementation of direct, one‑person‑one‑vote elections.
“We are determined and will never waiver that the Somali people receive their constitutional right to elect the leader they desire, 57 years later. Previous incomplete elections have left us many problems, foremost among them insecurity.”
Deni’s administration argues that the federal government has lost legitimacy by unilaterally changing the term limits and that a new, inclusive political roadmap must be negotiated before May 15.
Elders at Villa Somalia thanked the president for his hospitality and praised security gains and the fight against Al‑Shabaab. However, the meeting did not explicitly address Deni’s ultimatum, leaving Somalia divided between federal claims of democratic reform and regional claims of constitutional violation.