MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia entered a renewed period of political uncertainty on Tuesday after the term of its federal parliament officially expired without a clear electoral roadmap in place, heightening concerns of a constitutional vacuum and possible instability.
The development has revived memories of the 2021 political standoff, when prolonged disputes over delayed elections escalated into armed clashes on the streets of Mogadishu between the administration of then-President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and opposition forces.
In a statement, Farmaajo warned that Somalia is drifting into a dangerous phase that could undermine national security, unity and the foundations of statehood amid continuing uncertainty over the electoral process. He argued that parliament is central to the legality of state institutions, cautioning that with its mandate now expired and no successor legislature in place, the country risks entering legal and institutional ambiguity marked by weakened accountability and potential abuse of power.
Opposition leaders, together with the regional administrations of Jubaland and Puntland under the banner of the Somali Future Council, had earlier warned that if both parliamentary and presidential terms lapse without elections or a political agreement on the electoral framework, they would move ahead with organizing their own polls and establish a parallel federal administration.
Their position is anchored in Somalia’s 2012 provisional constitution, which sets four-year terms for both parliament and the presidency. However, the federal government later introduced a revised constitutional framework that was controversially approved by parliament in early March.
According to the speaker of parliament Adan Madobe, who spoke during celebrations marking the adoption of the new constitution, the revised framework extends parliamentary and presidential terms to five years and takes effect immediately, effectively adding another year to the mandates of both institutions. The speaker also warned that those who challenge the new constitutional arrangement or the government’s electoral approach could face accountability measures, remarks widely interpreted as a pointed message to the opposition.
With parliament’s mandate now expired and the presidency due to reach its term limit in one month, Somalia is facing widening political uncertainty and an increasingly unclear path toward elections. Despite repeated warnings from opposition figures and regional authorities, officials in Mogadishu have yet to present a broadly accepted framework to resolve the deepening constitutional and political impasse.
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