Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is seeking a third term, claiming his two previous mandates were not consecutive.
Mohamud 70, was first elected as president of Somalia in 2012 and assumed office again in 2022 after a five-year break.
“The constitution does not prevent me from running again,” he said. “It prohibits a president who serves for two consecutive terms. I was elected twice, but not consecutively,” Mohamud was quoted as saying over the weekend.
Analysts have credited the president with “noticeable improvements” in the security situation in Mogadishu, the country’s capital, since taking office again, which has led to the expansion of commercial zones and broader improvement in the economy.
The country’s election commission is preparing to conduct elections this year where voters will cast ballots directly, a form of voting that has not happened in Somalia for 50 years.
According to the president, his new candidacy would take place under a revised constitutional framework and a multiparty political system, which the government says will mark a shift away from Somalia’s long-standing clan-based electoral model.
Opposition figures accuse the president of using the constitutional review process to consolidate power and potentially extend his term in office.
The constitutional amendments are being processed by parliamentary leadership amid boycotts and protests by opposition lawmakers, who say the process lacks consensus and transparency.
MG/as/APA