MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday held his third meeting with opposition leaders to address the ongoing dispute over recent constitutional amendments and the future of national elections.
Local television stations reported that several opposition leaders were seen arriving at the presidential palace early Sunday morning, although some key members were notably absent from the talks.
While the previous two meetings were largely introductory, Sunday’s session was expected to be more contentious, as both sides delved into the core of the disagreement: controversial constitutional changes initiated by President Mohamud’s administration and subsequently approved by Parliament.
The talks also covered the proposed shift from the long-standing indirect voting system to universal suffrage. President Mohamud’s government has repeatedly expressed its commitment to holding one-person, one-vote elections, ending the clan-based, indirect electoral model that has defined Somali politics for the past two decades.
However, the opposition — backed by the federal member states of Puntland and Jubaland — argue that while they support the idea of direct elections in principle, the government currently lacks the capacity, time, and territorial control to implement them effectively. They point to the government’s limited influence outside the capital, Mogadishu, and the vast areas still under the control of the militant group Al-Shabaab.
The opposition has reiterated that the indirect voting system has facilitated multiple peaceful transfers of power over the past 15 years. They insist that any shift to direct elections must include all regions of the country — including Somaliland and areas under militant control — a goal they say is unrealistic under current security conditions.
Despite growing criticism, President Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre have repeatedly declared that they will not reverse their plans to introduce universal suffrage. However, they have yet to clearly address concerns about how and where such elections would be conducted, particularly as the government’s term enters its final year.
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