Somali opposition leaders have presented President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud with a set of three core demands to resolve an escalating political crisis, warning that unilateral actions have pushed the country toward a constitutional deadlock.
The opposition unveiled the demands following a late-night meeting with traditional elders in Mogadishu, which came just hours after the elders had separately met with the president. The confrontation centers on disputed constitutional changes, claims of land seizures, and disagreements over the electoral process ahead of the May 15 expiration of the government’s mandate.
The political standoff follows parliament’s approval of constitutional amendments in early March that extended presidential and parliamentary terms from four to five years, a move the opposition has described as a unilateral power grab. According to the International Crisis Group, the government and opposition remain locked in a struggle over elections due by mid-May, raising fears that a failure to agree could plunge the country into turmoil.
“There was only one point of disagreement with President Farmajo: the election. But with President Hassan, we have three: the constitution he changed unilaterally, the land he has taken from the people, and the electoral process,” said lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, speaking on behalf of the opposition. Warsame also stressed that any modification to the federal system or the constitution would require broad-based consensus, adding that “changing these things in four or five years requires agreement.”
The president has consistently defended his agenda, committing to a “one-person, one-vote” electoral system and signaling no intention to back down on constitutional reforms.
Political analysts warn that with just weeks remaining before the government’s mandate expires, the window for mediation is rapidly closing. The opposition has now formally requested that traditional elders play a visible role in de-escalating the situation and steering the country through what many describe as its most precarious political transition in years.
