President Hassan Sheikh vows ‘one person, one vote’ as permanent constitution pledge gains momentum

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has made a firm pledge to deliver a permanent constitution and universal suffrage, directly criticizing past Somali administrations for ignoring the provisional charter for 14 years and instead relying on elite backroom deals.

Speaking from the southwestern state of Somalia, the president said that since the Provisional Constitution was adopted in 2012, successive parliaments have failed to finalize a permanent version. He accused a small circle of political elders and clan leaders of repeatedly setting aside the document to strike power-sharing agreements outside the legal framework.

“The constitution has been neglected. It became mere ink on paper,” Mohamud said.

He recalled that when he first left office in 2017, he left behind a detailed roadmap for a permanent constitution and electoral transition but claimed the plan was never used by the administration that followed.

The president revealed that since early 2023, his government has held months of high-level consultations with former presidents, prime ministers, and parliamentary speakers to agree on a new path. He said two core goals are now non-negotiable: transitioning to universal suffrage – the principle of “one person, one vote”—and finalizing the provisional constitution.

Mohamud acknowledged strong resistance from some political figures, particularly over abandoning the long-standing 4.5 clan-based power-sharing model, which allocates parliamentary seats among Somalia’s major clans. However, he insisted that progress must be legally documented.

“Why are we hesitant to write down the very progress we claim to seek?” he asked. “If we know what is better in our hearts, we must have the courage to put it into our founding documents and into practice.”

The president concluded with a solemn oath: “Before God and the Somali people, we have committed to popular elections, and we shall deliver them. We have committed to completing the constitution, and we shall see it through.”

The remarks come as Somalia continues to face security challenges from Al-Shabaab and political tensions between the federal government and some federal member states. International partners have urged a consensus-driven constitutional review, but Mohamud insisted that delay is no longer an option.

Local political analysts in Mogadishu say the president’s push for “one person, one vote” would mark the biggest political shift in Somalia since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. However, they caution that implementing universal suffrage requires a functioning census, electoral law, and security across all regions – conditions not yet fully met.