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Somalia’s cabinet has approved legislation to shift the country from its long-standing indirect (clan-based) election system to universal suffrage, or one-person-one-vote elections, by 2026.
This marks a significant change for Somalia, which has relied on a clan-based voting system since 1969, where clan elders select lawmakers who, in turn, elect the president.
The proposed law, if passed by parliament, will enable all Somali citizens to directly vote for their leaders for the first time in over 50 years. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected by lawmakers in May 2022, has been advocating for this transition to universal suffrage.
Somalia had planned to adopt direct voting in 2020, but persistent political disagreements and security concerns delayed the process.
