About this election
Somalia is planning to hold national elections in 2026 that would, for the first time in over half a century, be based on universal suffrage — "one person, one vote" — rather than the indirect, clan-based system used for decades. The government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has pushed legislation to move to direct elections for parliament and the presidency, and launched the country's first voter-registration drive in generations. But the plan is fiercely contested, the timetable uncertain, and the security situation precarious, so this page sets out Somalia's institutions, the proposed transition, and the obstacles a credible vote must overcome.
Somalia has not held a nationwide direct election since 1969, the year a coup ushered in decades of military rule and then state collapse and civil war. Since a transitional process began in the 2000s, leaders have been chosen through a complex indirect system: clan elders select delegates who form electoral colleges that elect members of parliament, and members of parliament in turn elect the president. This power-sharing model, built around the "4.5 formula" that allocates seats among the four major clans and a coalition of minority groups, was designed to manage conflict but has been criticised as elite-driven, prone to vote-buying, and disconnected from ordinary citizens.
The federal government has adopted laws to replace the indirect system with direct, universal-suffrage elections and a more presidential system, including the introduction of political parties competing nationally. Supporters argue this would finally give Somalis a direct say and strengthen the legitimacy of their government. Critics — including some federal member states such as Puntland and Jubaland, and opposition figures — argue that the changes have been pushed through without sufficient consensus, that the security and administrative conditions for a nationwide vote do not exist, and that the reforms could concentrate power. The dispute over whether, when and how to hold the vote is itself a central political fault line.
The single greatest challenge is security. The Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab continues to control or contest large rural areas and to carry out attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere, making the registration of voters and the conduct of polling across the country extremely difficult. An African Union-led stabilisation mission supports the Somali security forces, but the gradual drawdown of international troops adds further uncertainty. Holding a credible, nationwide universal-suffrage election under these conditions would be an immense undertaking.
Federal politics revolves around the presidency, currently held by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud — who returned to office in 2022 after an earlier term — and the relationship between the federal government in Mogadishu and the federal member states, whose leaders guard their autonomy. The move to party-based, direct elections would reshape a system long organised around clan balancing and personal alliances rather than national parties. How the federal states, opposition leaders and clan constituencies respond will determine whether the transition holds.
The decisive questions are whether the universal-suffrage timetable survives the disputes between Mogadishu and the federal states, whether voter registration and security allow a genuine nationwide vote, and whether opposition forces and member states participate or reject the process. Regional and international partners — the African Union, the United Nations, the Gulf states, Turkey and Western donors — will weigh heavily on its credibility. Given the contestation and the security risks, dates and the form of the election should be treated as provisional.
Somalia's politics is shaped by clan and region, and by the federal map: Puntland in the north-east and Jubaland in the south have at times resisted federal plans, while the breakaway region of Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 and runs its own elections, does not participate in Mogadishu's votes at all. ElectioMap will map results across Somalia's federal member states as and if official figures are released. The capital, Mogadishu, and the south-central regions, where the contest between the federal government and al-Shabaab is most intense, are likely to be the focal points of any nationwide vote, while turnout and access will vary enormously by area.
If and when voting takes place, this page will publish the available results, with a regional map, as figures are released by Somalia's National Independent Electoral Commission. Until then it serves as a reference on the transition and the planned move to universal suffrage.
The government plans national elections in 2026 that would be the first based on universal suffrage ("one person, one vote") in more than half a century, but the date is contested and not firmly set. A first voter-registration drive in generations has begun.
Through an indirect, clan-based system: clan elders pick delegates who form electoral colleges that choose members of parliament, who in turn elect the president. It follows the "4.5 formula" sharing seats among the four major clans and minority groups.
The federal government has adopted laws to switch to direct, universal-suffrage elections and party-based competition. Supporters say it gives citizens a real say; critics — including some federal member states such as Puntland and Jubaland — say it lacks consensus and that conditions for a nationwide vote do not exist.
Security is the biggest: the insurgent group al-Shabaab controls or contests large areas, making registration and polling difficult. Disputes between Mogadishu and the federal states, and the breakaway region of Somaliland (which runs its own elections), further complicate a nationwide vote.
That is uncertain. The timetable depends on resolving federal disputes and the security situation. Dates and the form of the election should be treated as provisional, and this page will update as the process develops.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.