Somalia’s opposition says president loses legitimacy after May 15
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s opposition leaders say President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will no longer be recognized as head of state once his term ends on May 15, signaling a deepening political standoff over the country’s electoral timeline. Their position directly challenges Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who maintains that the government’s mandate remains in force […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s opposition leaders say President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will no longer be recognized as head of state once his term ends on May 15, signaling a deepening political standoff over the country’s electoral timeline. Their position directly challenges Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who maintains that the government’s mandate remains in force beyond that date.
Speaking to local journalists in Mogadishu at the residence of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, opposition lawmaker Yusuf Gamadid said the president would lose his legitimacy if his term expires without a political agreement on elections. In that scenario, he said, Mohamud would be treated as a former president rather than an incumbent.
The remarks follow similar warnings from opposition figure Abdirahman Abdishakur, who recently said the bloc could pursue a parallel electoral process and establish a rival administration if consensus is not reached. The threat echoes positions outlined during last year’s Kismayo conference, where opposition leaders raised the possibility of alternative political arrangements.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre rejected the claim that the president’s mandate ends in May, arguing instead that it runs for five years under both the 2012 draft constitution and the newly approved constitution. By that interpretation, he said, the current term would extend for another year.
For decades, however, Somalia’s political practice has largely adhered to four-year terms for both the presidency and parliament under the provisional constitution. In 2021, Mohamud himself called on then-President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo, to step down after his four-year term expired.
Amid the dispute, opposition leaders have intensified consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including traditional elders, religious scholars, lawmakers and women’s groups. The talks are focused on determining a unified course of action should the president’s term lapse without an agreed electoral framework.
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