Somalia’s cabinet has endorsed a new roadmap to implement the amended federal constitution and advance one-person, one-vote elections, deepening a political transition that continues to divide the country’s leadership.
The Council of Ministers, chaired Sunday by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, reviewed a constitutional implementation plan running from 2026 to 2029, with ministers prioritising electoral reforms, institutional restructuring and the rollout of key federal bodies.
The meeting comes at a politically charged moment, with the federal government racing to entrench constitutional changes fiercely opposed by several opposition leaders and former presidents.
Officials from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs told the cabinet that the next 12 months would focus on activating institutions viewed as critical to the new governance framework, including the Judicial Service Commission and the National Revenue Agency.
Prime Minister Barre said the constitution officially came into force after being signed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and published in the state gazette, but acknowledged that implementing the changes would require time, funding and functioning institutions.
The cabinet also received a report on recent one-person, one-vote elections held in districts of South West State, polls the federal government has repeatedly presented as a model for Somalia’s planned electoral transition.
But the reforms continue to trigger sharp political tensions in Mogadishu.
The constitutional amendments, approved earlier by parliament, extended the mandate of federal institutions by one year and changed the presidential term from four years to five — a move critics say lacked broad political consensus.
Opposition figures argue there is no legitimate agreement extending President Hassan Sheikh’s tenure beyond May 15, 2026, accusing Villa Somalia of pushing through unilateral changes that could destabilise the fragile political order.
The president, however, insists the extension stems from the amended constitution and not from a personal political decision.
Sunday’s cabinet meeting also approved several bilateral agreements, including an investment cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia and the renewal of an education partnership with Turkey.
Ministers further endorsed a national sports development policy and new regulations concerning social insurance and the administration of district councils in the Banaadir region.
The latest decisions signal the federal government’s determination to press ahead with sweeping political and institutional reforms despite mounting criticism over legitimacy, electoral timelines and the absence of a wider political settlement.
