State & Governance

How Somalia Governs Itself

A federal parliamentary republic rebuilt from state collapse: a bicameral Federal Parliament, an indirectly-elected presidency, and 18 member regions. See the full leadership timeline for who has held power since 1960.

Executive branch

Who's in charge, right now

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Legislative branch

The Federal Parliament

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Both chambers are fully indirectly elected; despite parties forming since 2020, the 2021–2022 elections kept a clan-based apportionment of seats to Somalia's federal member states rather than party-list representation.

Elections

2022 presidential election

The president is indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by a two-thirds majority, in up to two rounds, for a single four-year term. In the most recent election (15 May 2022), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won in a third round of voting:

Round 1: Said Abdullahi Deni (Kaah) 20.2% · Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmaajo" (TPP) 18.3% · Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (PDP) 16.2% · Hassan Ali Khayre (independent) 14.6% · other 30.7% Round 2: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud 34.1% · Farmaajo 25.7% · Deni 21% · Khayre 19.2% Round 3 (final): Hassan Sheikh Mohamud 66% · Farmaajo 34%

Next presidential election expected in 2026; the House of the People's term runs to October 2026 and the Upper House's to July 2026.

Institutions

Legal system & political landscape

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Government typeFederal parliamentary republic
Legal systemMixed system of civil law, Islamic (sharia) law, and customary law (Xeer)
JudiciaryProvisional constitution provides for a Constitutional Court (5 judges); federal, state-level, military, and sharia courts also operate, and many regions still rely on local dispute-resolution mechanisms
ConstitutionProvisional constitution drafted 12 June 2012, adopted 1 August 2012, following earlier constitutions in 1961 and 1979
Administrative structure18 regions (gobollo), including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in the northwest, which continues to control its own regional and local governing bodies