President Mohamud Defends Constitutional Amendments, Urges Dialogue

GOOBJOOG NEWS|NEW YORK: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has defended the recent constitutional amendments, insisting the review process was carried out in line with the law and established procedures. Speaking in an interview with BBC Somali, the president urged critics of the reforms to bring their grievances to the dialogue table instead of airing them through public disputes.

He noted that opposition leaders had submitted three proposals during the process, which the government incorporated into the final draft. “The issue is not about rejecting opinions, but the way those concerns are expressed,” he said, stressing that political actors must move past inflammatory rhetoric to keep the reform process on track.

On elections, the president said nearly one million voters have already been registered and underlined that the National Independent Electoral Commission has full authority to set procedures and timelines. He dismissed any possibility of term extensions or a constitutional vacuum, though questions remain over how elections for parliament and the presidency can be organized within the time left in his mandate.

The remarks come on the same day the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament and the Constitutional Review Committees concluded a two-day retreat at Villa Hargeisa in Mogadishu. The sessions, attended by parliamentary leaders, committee chairs, and secretaries, were aimed at accelerating the constitutional review and consolidating recent changes.

The amendments—particularly those covering four key chapters and the shift to a one-person, one-vote electoral system—remain contentious. Opposition groups and federal member states such as Puntland and Jubaland have rejected parts of the process, accusing the government of rushing through reforms without consensus. Villa Somalia, however, maintains that the changes are necessary to strengthen state institutions and move Somalia closer to a stable democratic order.