The lower house of parliament voted on Monday, April 12, to extend the term of the outgoing president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as “Farmajo,” by two years. This vote is intended to unblock the political crisis that the country entered on February 8, when the president’s term expired and the presidential election could not be held. Since then, negotiations with the opposition, which no longer recognizes his legitimacy, have been fruitless.
In mid-afternoon, after a short debate, the members of the lower house of the Somali Parliament adopted the resolution introduced by its Speaker by 149 votes to 3 with one abstention. The resolution gives the electoral commission two years to organize a presidential election by universal suffrage and extends the mandate of the federal authorities until that time.
It is a way out of the impasse in which the political actors have been engaged for two months. The presidency has chosen to turn the tables, because Monday’s vote effectively nullifies the framework agreement signed between it and the opposition last September and any new negotiations on the issue. This vote also contradicts the wishes of Somalia’s international partners, who have continually called for dialogue, but have also warned that they would not accept an extension of the presidential term.
Several opposition figures have denounced a “coup de force. The upper house of parliament has even declared the lower house resolution “unconstitutional” because it does not have its approval. President Farmajo welcomed “the return of the democratic path” and promised to do everything possible to organize an election as soon as possible.