“The election in the Federal Republic of Somalia must give the people the opportunity to vote democratically”: elections in Somalia will be held from 2024 on the principle of“one person, one vote”. The government and the federated states announced, on Sunday May 28, this historic agreement putting an end to a complex and controversial indirect electoral system. “The electoral system must encourage a multi-party political system, which must be independent, peaceful and free from corruption”under the terms of the agreement.
With the exception of the separatist region of Somaliland, this independent country since July 1960 has not known elections by universal suffrage since 1969, a few months before the seizure of power by the dictator Siad Barré.
This new voting system, which has not been applied since 1969 in this country in the Horn of Africa, will come into force for the local elections scheduled for June 30, 2024, before the elections to designate the regional parliaments and presidents. of November 30, 2024.
The last elections took place according to a complex indirect system, based in particular on clans, a fundamental component of Somali society. This system was regularly a source of tension and instability which, according to many observers, benefited the insurrection of the radical Islamists Chabab which has bloodied the country since 2007. During the next presidential election, scheduled for 2026, voters will also elect A “ticket” composed of a president and vice-president, a provision which implicitly puts an end to the post of prime minister to establish a presidential system.
A first step had been taken at the local level
Somali President Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, elected in May 2022, promised in March that the next national and regional elections would be held on the principle of“one person, one vote”. A first step was taken last week at the local level, with district council elections held on this principle in the state of Puntland, in the north of the country, which had been cited as an example by the international community.
This agreement was concluded during a meeting of the national consultative forum, which notably brought together the president, Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, the prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, and the leaders of the federated states. The President of the State of Puntland, although a member of this Forum, was however not present to sign the text.
A fragile country in the Horn of Africa, Somalia has been facing a bloody rebellion since 2007 led by radical Chabab Islamists. It also lives to the rhythm of recurring extreme climatic hazards, including a historic drought that began at the end of 2020 and recent floods that displaced hundreds of thousands of people.