Somalia may extend government tenure by two years, minister says amid election row
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s Education Minister Farah Abdulkadir said on Monday the federal government could remain in office for up to two more years after the end of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate on May 15, deepening a dispute with the opposition over the country’s electoral future. Speaking at an event in Mogadishu, Abdulkadir, a […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s Education Minister Farah Abdulkadir said on Monday the federal government could remain in office for up to two more years after the end of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate on May 15, deepening a dispute with the opposition over the country’s electoral future.
Speaking at an event in Mogadishu, Abdulkadir, a close ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said the administration could extend its tenure by one to two years beyond the expiry of the presidential term. Opposition figures have said they will no longer recognise Mohamud as president once his mandate ends.
Abdulkadir called on opposition politicians to pursue dialogue and avoid actions he described as driven by personal political ambitions, saying the focus should remain on resolving electoral disagreements in a way that maintains stability.
He said the main point of contention between the government and opposition was the electoral system, with the opposition favouring indirect elections and the government pushing for universal suffrage.
Somalia has relied on indirect elections for decades, and Abdulkadir said the current dispute centres on the transition to a different electoral model rather than the continuation of governance.
The remarks come days after President Mohamud invited opposition leaders to talks aimed at resolving the deadlock over the electoral process as his mandate nears its end.
The president has been advocating for a one-person, one-vote system, while the opposition have called for an indirect electoral arrangement and an agreement before the end of the current term.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre recently said the government has an additional year in office under a newly approved constitutional framework endorsed by parliament. The opposition and the regional administrations of Jubaland and Puntland have rejected the claim, saying the constitutional process was conducted unilaterally and without proper procedure.
Opposition politicians meeting in Mogadishu are expected to decide whether to accept the government’s invitation for talks and define their position on the electoral model ahead of any negotiations. The dispute highlights continuing divisions over Somalia’s constitutional order and the legitimacy of the electoral transition.
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