The universal suffrage law is approved by the government of Somalia

According to a government spokesman, Somalia’s cabinet on Thursday adopted a law that, if approved by parliament, will bring the nation’s electoral system back to universal suffrage for the first time in decades and eliminate the use of indirect voting.

In recent years, MPs have voted for the president, while clan leaders and elders have elected lawmakers in both the federal government and regional regions under significant insecurity brought on by an Islamist insurgency and weak state structures.

The nation was originally supposed to switch to direct voting in 2020, but the administration was obliged to keep the indirect ballot in place due to lengthy political disputes and ongoing instability throughout the nation.

“The election regulations will bring about a nationwide one person, one vote system,” stated a statement from the government’s spokesperson, Farhan Jimale.

After 55 years, this will allow the people to vote and make elections for the first time. “This day is historic,” he declared.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was chosen by legislators to serve a five-year term beginning in May 2022, unveiled the proposal last year.

The absence of infrastructure and the fact that the Islamist terrorist organization al Shabaab still controls a sizable portion of the nation provide serious logistical and security hurdles for its implementation.