Somalia Sets October 14 Deadline To Separate Parliamentary and Ministerial Roles

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Independent Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission has said a six-month transition period for aligning government practices with the country’s new Constitution will expire on October 14, when provisions separating parliamentary and ministerial roles are due to take effect.

Commission Chairman Burhaan Adan Omar said the provisions will require the separation of membership in the Federal Parliament from positions in the Council of Ministers.

According to the commission, Article 81(1)(f) and Article 117(3)(a) of the 2026 Constitution will come into effect on October 14. The commission said a lawmaker who becomes a minister will lose their parliamentary membership, while a lawmaker who accepts another government position will lose their seat in Parliament.

The commission said the changes are part of the constitutional transition following the adoption of Somalia’s new permanent Constitution, which was approved by Parliament in March and signed into law by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on March 8. The presidency describes the Constitution as replacing the provisional constitutional framework that had governed the country for more than a decade.

The commission said government institutions are constitutionally required to comply with the new provisions, citing the Constitution’s status as the country’s supreme law, subject to Islamic Sharia.

The announcement comes one week before the October 14 deadline and could require officials currently holding both parliamentary and government positions to make a choice between their legislative and executive roles.

The separation of the two roles is part of the broader institutional changes introduced under Somalia’s new constitutional framework, which also includes changes to the country’s electoral and political system. The Office of the Prime Minister says the constitutional reforms introduced direct universal suffrage, a multi-party system and five-year presidential and parliamentary terms.

The commission said the October 14 deadline marks the end of the administrative transition period provided for implementation of the relevant constitutional provisions.