Tuesday March 21, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced on Monday that his government is creating a five-year plan to focus on Somalia's long-term vision. He also stated that the next election in Somalia would be a one-person, party-based vote. President Mohamud made these announcements during a ceremony at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, where he signed eight bills into law.
President Mohamud asked both chambers of parliament to finalize Somalia's provisional constitution, describing it as an essential step towards a direct election.
The one-person, party-based vote announced by President Mohamud is a departure from the previous indirect electoral system, which involved a complex clan-based model historically used to allocate power and resources. Other obstacles to Somalia's democratic transition include ongoing security concerns, as extremist groups like Al-Shabaab continue to target the country. These security concerns make elections difficult in some parts of the country, raising concerns about the safety of candidates and voters.
Somalia has not held a direct multi-party election since the 1969 parliamentary election, which was immediately followed by Siad Barre's military coup in October of the same year.
"We are setting up a five-year plan that focuses on Somalia's long-term vision for what the country will look like in 2060. The plan will pave the way for future generations of Somalis to achieve great developments every five years," he said.
The bills signed by the President include the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Somali Immigration and Citizenship Agency Establishment Law, the Immigration Law, the Public Data Protection Act, the Law on the Management of Underground Resources, the Investment and Investor Protection Law, the Law on Identification and Public Registration, and the Somali Fisheries Development and Management Law.
Earlier this month, six senior Somali politicians, including former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and three former Prime Ministers, warned federal government leaders against extending the mandates of the parliament and presidency. This warning came after the Lower House Parliament's First Deputy Speaker, MP Sadia Yasin Samatar, appointed a ten-member committee to prepare a report on a motion signed by 100 lawmakers advocating amendments and supplements to the constitution. The motion seeks to amend articles 60 and 91, which currently state that the President of the Federal Government of Somalia shall hold office for four years, beginning on the day they take the oath.