President Mohamud Calls for Institutional Reform to End Personality-Driven Politics

GOOBJOOG NEWS | ARTA, Djibouti: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for a fundamental reform of Somalia’s political system, urging an end to politics centered on individual leaders and the creation of strong, enduring institutions.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of the 2000 Arta Reconciliation Conference in Djibouti, Mohamud said Somalia must move beyond what he described as an unstable, personality-based model of governance.

“We want to reform Somalia’s politics,” he said. “We need to establish a political system built on institutions and organizations, not on individuals.”

The President said reliance on individual leadership has made Somali politics unpredictable and fragile, while institutional systems provide continuity and accountability.

“The person I am this morning could be different by the afternoon,” he noted, arguing that sustainable statehood requires “a system that endures beyond individuals.”

Mohamud said his administration is committed to completing constitutional reforms and implementing a “one person, one vote” system to consolidate democratic governance.

The event was attended by Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, whose country hosted the landmark 2000 conference that restored Somalia’s first transitional government after nearly a decade of state collapse.

Mohamud praised Djibouti’s political maturity and stability as a model for Somalia, saying the country is now “on the same path” toward institutionalized governance and long-term stability.