Somalia announces parliamentary and presidential elections for 2027

Somalia will hold parliamentary and presidential elections next year, the country's election commission announced on Thursday. President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed's term ended in May, and he declared a one-year transition period, despite an agreement with the opposition to hold elections. Now, authorities say parliamentary elections will take place on April 15, followed by the presidential vote a month later. Mohammed has been trying to move the country from an indirect clan-based electoral system towards universal suffrage. He's been met with opposition from regional leaders who view his efforts as a power grab. Since 1991, elections have been held through a complex indirect process where major clans and sub-clans use their numbers and influence to win key leadership positions. The system has been criticized by some for lacking merit as well as being a source of power struggles and political instability.