Somalia says it will revert to direct vote for officials

28/5/2023 19:11

        Somalia will start electing its president and other officials by direct vote next year, the government announced on Sunday, ending a system of indirect voting in the Horn of Africa country that has endured three decades of conflict and clan battles.
        
        Amid widespread insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and weak state structures, in recent years lawmakers voted for the president, while clan heads and elders elected lawmakers in both the federal government and regional states.
        
        The country had initially been scheduled to revert to universal suffrage in 2020 but protracted squabbles among politicians and persisting insecurity across the country forced the government to retain the indirect ballot.
        
        "Starting next year, there will be a one person, one vote election held every five years," said a statement tweeted by Somalia's state media SONNA.
        
        The position of prime minister will also be abolished.