Somalia’s Parliament on Wednesday approved amendments to the country’s Provisional Constitution, formally ending nearly 14 years of governance under a temporary charter and ushering in what leaders described as a new era.
The document was passed during the 24th Joint Session of the two chambers of the Federal Parliament in Mogadishu.
The session was attended by 186 Members of the House of the People and 36 Senators of the Upper House, focusing on approving the remaining chapters of the country’s Constitution and concluding the long-running review process of the 2012 Provisional Constitution.
The approved Constitution is written in the Somali language and is expected to be translated into other languages such as English and Arabic after it gets presidential assent.
Members of Parliament were provided with the final draft, which incorporated proposals and recommendations submitted by legislators during months of deliberations.
Transition process
During the joint sitting, both chambers voted to approve the amended Constitution, formally removing the provisional status that had defined Somalia’s governing framework since 2012.
Speaker of the House of the People, Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe, popularly known as Aden Madobe, announced that the revised Constitution had secured approval from both houses, with a total of 221 votes, calling the vote a historic milestone.
Specifically, one hundred eighty-five (185) Members of the House of the People and thirty-seven (37) Senators of the Upper House voted in favour of the constitutional amendments, achieving a clear majority, as declared by the Speaker during the session he presided over.
The 2012 Provisional Constitution had served as the legal foundation of Somalia’s post-transitional federal system following decades of civil war and institutional collapse in the 1990s.
It was always intended to undergo review and finalisation through political consensus between the federal government and member states.
Strengthening governance
Successive administrations and presidential candidates had pledged to complete the process, though negotiations were repeatedly delayed by political disputes, security challenges, and disagreements over federal powers.
Supporters of the amendments say they provide long-awaited clarity on the division of powers between federal and regional authorities, strengthen governance structures, and outline the electoral framework.
Opposition leaders, however, have questioned whether the review process achieved full national consensus, raising concerns about inclusivity and political legitimacy.
The amended Constitution now awaits the assent of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to become official law.
With its adoption, Somalia joins a growing list of African nations, including neighbouring Kenya that have recently undertaken the complex and often politically challenging process of constitutional review and implementation.
