PRESS RELEASE
April 16, 2026
According to Article 60 of the 2012 Constitution, under which constitutional bodies were elected and sworn in, April 14, 2026, marked the swearing-in date of the 11th Parliament of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The four-year term of the 11th Parliament has now officially ended. Therefore, as of April 15, 2026, the 11th Parliament no longer holds any legislative authority, except to serve in a caretaker capacity until the 12th Parliament is elected.
The reason for this situation is that President Hassan Sheikh has failed and defaulted on holding an agreed-upon election to elect new members who would replace the 11th Parliament. Given that the 11th Parliament’s term ends on May 15, 2026, and it will no longer possess constitutional legitimacy after that date, the President himself will likewise revert to the status of a former president.
We further clarify that as of April 15, 2026, a constitutional vacuum and political uncertainty exist. This cripples Somali state-building, undermines the progress achieved through all agreements previously reached by the Somali people, and lays the foundation for a state collapse from which recovery will be extremely difficult.
Additionally, we warn the caretaker leadership, whose term has expired, that any step they take, any meeting they convene, or any law they propose will have no legal standing.
We call upon the international community not to allow the funds they have long provided to support the Somali people to be used to destroy Somalia’s legal framework and political stability. Any financial support they provide must be conditional on consensus, an agreed-upon election, and the protection of the rights of Somali citizens, given that the term of constitutional bodies has expired.
Finally, we call upon the Somali people to resist any attempt to break the Constitution and the agreed-upon legal framework. Reject unilateralism, abuse of power, and illegitimate term extensions.
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