Somalia to end indirect voting with new suffrage bill

Somalia's cabinet approved a bill that, if passed by parliament, will reintroduce universal suffrage for the first time in 55 years, marking the end of indirect voting, as stated by the government's spokesperson Farhan Jimale.

Amid significant insecurity due to an Islamist insurgency and unstable state frameworks, presidents have been elected by lawmakers, who are themselves chosen by clan heads and elders.

The bills will have to be approved by parliament and signed into law by the President.

If implemented, it would make president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud the last leader elected indirectly in polls scheduled for 2026. 

The country had intended to shift to direct voting in 2020, but extended political disagreements and persistent insecurity led to the continuation of the indirect voting process.

Somalia which held its last direct elections in 1967, has endured decades of insecurity, with the central government in Mogadishu struggling to exert its authority over parts of central and southern regions.