Somali Supreme Court strikes down president's extended term

Somalia's Supreme Court has invalidated an extension of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term in office, deepening an institutional impasse between the executive branch and the judiciary.

In its ruling on Thursday, the nation's highest judicial authority determined that constitutional amendments approved by lawmakers in March could not be applied retroactively to lengthen the current presidency. Mohamud's four-year term officially concluded in May, but his administration had pushed the timeline back by one year. Alongside striking down the extension, the court instructed political factions to reach an agreement on an election framework within 30 days and conduct national polls within 90 days.

The legal challenge has upended the government's official voting schedule. Under plans announced by the electoral commission, parliamentary ballots were set for April 2027, followed by a presidential vote the next month. That calendar has faced strong resistance from opposition figures and the regional leadership of Jubaland and Puntland.

Tensions escalated sharply after Mohamud attempted to fire Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed a day before the decision, naming former chief justice Ibrahim Idle Suleiman to the post. The presidency argued the removal was necessary to address public grievances regarding judicial administration. The court swiftly struck down the dismissal, declaring it null and void on the grounds that the head of state lacks the legal power to bypass established constitutional mechanisms for unseating a chief justice.

Following the ruling, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire alleged that government security forces surrounded the Supreme Court in an effort to arrest Ahmed. While news agencies could not independently confirm the operation, media imagery emerged showing armed personnel within the court's grounds. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the court's intervention and cautioned that the country was navigating a serious political crisis, urging the administration to seek broad consensus.

Mohamud has defended his legislative reforms as an essential transition toward universal direct suffrage, aiming to dismantle the decades-old clan-based system where elders choose political leaders. Somalia has not conducted a nationwide one-person, one-vote election since 1969. While the president has proposed holding national reconciliation talks in mid-November, his political rivals question his authority to lead the process.

The constitutional dispute unfolds against persistent security threats. The Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab continues to hold significant territory across rural Somalia despite protracted military campaigns. Security anxieties have been further heightened by Uganda's recent announcement that it intends to pull its peacekeeping personnel from the African Union mission in Somalia before the end of the year.