Somalia supreme court voids constitutional changes, orders elections
The court declared amendments extending presidential and parliamentary terms null and void, demanding elections within 90 days.
Somalia’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared null and void amendments to the 2012 Provisional Constitution, invalidating the consequential extension of the mandates of the presidency and parliament. The court ordered that elections be held within 90 days.
The ruling came after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud dismissed Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf and appointed Ibrahim Eidle Suleiman, the president’s former legal adviser, as his replacement. Five Supreme Court judges, excluding Yusuf, handed down the verdict, stating that parliament ratified the amendments after its mandate expired, rendering it without legal authority for such changes.
The court directed Somalia’s political stakeholders to negotiate and reach a consensus to resolve the protracted electoral impasse within 30 days. Shortly after the verdict, Somali security forces deployed more than 30 military pickup vehicles and stormed the Supreme Court’s premises, forcing the chief justice out.
Why it mattersThe Supreme Court's ruling directly impacts the legitimacy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration and the timeline for future leadership.