Somalia to hold presidential election in May 2027

Somalia’s electoral commission has announced that the Horn of Africa nation will hold its presidential election on May 15, 2027.

The commission’s chairperson, Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, made the announcement on state television on Thursday, October 15, adding that parliamentary elections for both the lower and upper chambers are scheduled for April 15, 2027.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term was originally expected to end in May 2026. However, lawmakers approved constitutional amendments in March that could extend his tenure by one year, a decision that attracted criticism from opposition groups.

Mohamud’s administration has also faced challenges in its fight against al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group that has waged a two-decade insurgency against Somalia’s central government.

Although Somali security forces, supported by an African Union peacekeeping mission, have made gains against the militants, al Shabaab continues to control large areas of the countryside and regularly carries out attacks in major population centres.