CIVICUS discusses Somalia’s possible move towards direct elections with Mahad Wasuge, Executive Director of Somali Public Agenda, a civil society organisation that works on public policy and administration research.
In August, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud struck an agreement with opposition figures to introduce direct elections for federal lawmakers, potentially changing the country’s traditional clan-based power structures. However, with under nine months remaining in the current government’s mandate and widespread opposition resistance, the outcome of a potential democratic change remains highly uncertain.