Somalia to get direct universal suffrage —at last
Somali officials announced May 28 that the country will institute a direct one-person-one-vote democracy by 2024. This comes after years of attempts to implement direct universal suffrage, first mandated by the Somali legislature in 2019, failed due to political divisions and internal conflict. State news agency SONNA called the decision an "historic turning point for the country." This new system will replace Somalia's current electoral process, in which clan elders elect delegates, who in turn elect all other regional and national political leaders.
From Jurist, May 28. Used with permission.
Note: Only some half of Somalia's claimed national territory is under the control of the official government. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration has made significant strides in liberating territories from the Shabaab insurgents, but it is unclear if the elections will be held in the autonomous territory of Puntland or the de facto independent Somaliland.
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