Somali officials announced [8] May 28 that the country will institute a direct one-person-one-vote democracy by 2024. This comes after years of attempts [9] 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 [10] called the decision an "historic turning point for the country." This new system will replace Somalia's current electoral process [11], in which clan elders elect delegates, who in turn elect all other regional and national political leaders.
From Jurist [16], 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 [12] 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.
