Somalia president’s direct vote pledge a smokescreen for indirect model: ex-adviser
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has no intention of holding a universal suffrage election despite repeatedly presenting himself as a proponent of a one-person, one-vote system, according to a former adviser who says the president’s public messaging masks a very different political calculation. In a recent interview, Nasir Ige, who previously served […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has no intention of holding a universal suffrage election despite repeatedly presenting himself as a proponent of a one-person, one-vote system, according to a former adviser who says the president’s public messaging masks a very different political calculation.
In a recent interview, Nasir Ige, who previously served as a presidential adviser and in the prime minister’s office, said there is little sign of preparations for a direct national vote, even as Mohamud’s term is due to expire within weeks.
Ige said the president is wary of an election model in which regional authorities oversee the selection of members of parliament, saying he believes such a process would likely lead to his defeat. Instead, he said Mohamud appears to favour a return to the 2016–2017 system, where clan delegates selected MPs who then chose the president.
Since returning to office, Mohamud has repeatedly criticised the 2022 electoral process, which many politicians and analysts see as the most contentious of Somalia’s indirect elections. He has described it as deeply flawed and warned against repeating it.
The 2022 vote gave regional state leaders broad control over parliamentary seats. In many cases, candidates were effectively filtered by local authorities, limiting competition. Critics said the process weakened clan representation and left communities with little say over who represented them in parliament.
Even so, Ige said Mohamud is trying to buy time. He said the president continues to promote universal suffrage while seeking to extend his time in office by at least a year. Under pressure from international partners, he added, Mohamud could eventually accept another indirect election, but one that shifts influence away from regional administrations and back to clan delegates.
Opposition figures are divided. Many reject the 2022 system, saying it concentrated too much power in regional states. At the same time, they have pushed back on Mohamud’s proposal for a one-person, one-vote election, arguing it is not feasible for now and warning it could be used to justify a term extension.
This week, Somali media reported that Abdulkadir Osoble of the Somali Future Council said the opposition would not accept a system in which regional states retain final control over electoral outcomes. Similar views have been expressed by Abdirahman Abdishakur and other figures.
But regional administrations, including Puntland and Jubaland – whose leaders are also part of the Somali Future Council – support keeping that authority. The arrangement played a key role in the 2022 election and helped shape the outcome against former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, whom they opposed.
The split highlights wider divisions within the opposition. Some former federal officials oppose both the 2022 model and stronger regional control, while others see it as the only workable option for now.
For now, Mohamud and parts of the opposition appear aligned in rejecting a return to a regional-state-dominated system. But the broader dispute remains unresolved, centred on whether the push for electoral reform reflects a genuine transition effort or a way to delay the process as pressure builds.
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