Issue No. 880

The Disconnect: Rhetoric vs. Reality

Today's editorial in The Somali Wire is written by Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.

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Somalia stands at a critical juncture, facing a premeditated constitutional crisis. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (HSM), whose mandate constitutionally expires in eight months, is not facilitating a peaceful transition but is instead orchestrating a political impasse to justify an unconstitutional extension of his term, abandoning any pretence of preparing for a democratic transition.

While the president's public rhetoric champions electoral reform, his actions reveal a systematic power grab. Since his 2022 election, HSM has operated on a doctrine of perceived power, relentlessly reshaping Somalia's political landscape to concentrate authority in his own hands. This consolidation of power rests on four key pillars:

• - Constitutional Subversion: Unilaterally altering the provisional constitution to centralise authority, aiming to replace Somalia's federal structure with a unitary state and a powerful presidential system.
• - Legal Manipulation: Pushing through changes to electoral and political party laws designed to stifle opposition and cement executive dominance.
• - Institutional Capture: Installing a handpicked, executive-funded electoral commission that operates without parliamentary oversight or accountability.
• - Co-option of State Organs: Weaponising security forces, financial institutions, and the judiciary to suppress dissent and enforce executive will.

The "Three-Tier" Election: A Calculated Impossibility

The centrepiece of this strategy is the sudden, uncompromising demand for synchronised federal, regional, and district elections. Portraying this complex "three-tier" vote as a logistical necessity is a deliberate fraud. All stakeholders understand that organising such an undertaking within eight months is an absolute impossibility.

This impossibility is precisely the point. The president's playbook is to create an unsolvable problem, and then position himself as the indispensable solution. When the clock runs out and the election is unachievable, his compliant commission will have the pretext to propose a term extension. It is a cynical, premeditated plan to override the constitution and void the will of the Somali people.

The Strategy of Manufactured Chaos

To execute this plan, HSM has methodically dismantled checks and balances:
Subverting Federalism: Leaders in South West, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug have been co-opted or coerced, transforming a system of regional balance into a personal patronage network.
Weaponising the State: Key institutions now operate as extensions of the presidential office, suppressing dissent and enabling widespread impunity.

This manufactured instability is not a failure of governance; it is its objective. By dividing the nation and sabotaging reconciliation, the president creates the very chaos he uses to justify his continued rule. This environment has permitted egregious acts—from the illegal sale of public lands to the violent suppression of opponents—all while nearly 140,000 vulnerable citizens have been displaced by force exacerbated by this catastrophic leadership.

His tenure, marked by notorious corruption and crippling nepotism, has shattered national hope and betrayed a generation. He has forfeited any moral or political right to seek a single day beyond his constitutional mandate.

The Path Forward: From Manufactured Crisis to National Dialogue

Facing the failure of his plans, the President must now abandon his quest for an unconstitutional extension and negotiate a solution with key stakeholders. The Somali people resoundingly rejected a term extension under his predecessor, and they reject it now. The solution requires immediate, concerted action:

1. ⁠Create a Conducive Environment for Dialogue: The government must immediately cease land grabbing, release arbitrarily arrested critics, and guarantee fundamental political freedoms.
2. ⁠Convene an Inclusive National Dialogue: An urgent forum must be convened, involving the federal government, the political opposition, and federal member states, including Puntland and Jubaland, to agree on a realistic electoral process.
3. Agree on a Workable Framework: To bridge the trust deficit and ensure credible elections, the government must create a clear and achievable electoral framework before its term ends. This requires immediate, mutual compromise: HSM must abandon his plan to extend his term, and regional leaders must commit to ending electoral manipulation and upholding its integrity. While a universal "one-person, one-vote" system is the long-term goal, the immediate priority is to establish an electoral model that all major political stakeholders can support.
4. Apply International Pressure: The international community must unequivocally condemn these machinations and apply decisive pressure to compel President HSM to engage in good-faith negotiations. The message must be clear: his term will end as scheduled, and Somalia will not tolerate a leader who mistakes the presidency for a monarchy.

The countdown has begun. The future of Somalia's fragile democracy is at stake. We, the opposition, together with the Somali people, are watching. We will not stand idle while one man's ambition destroys the foundations of our nation.