Somalia top court rejects president's term extension amid constitutional standoff

Somalia's Supreme Court has ruled that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unlawfully extended his term, deepening a constitutional standoff between the presidency and the judiciary. The decision was announced on Thursday and came as tensions rose over the president's dismissal of Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed. The court said the removal was invalid and that the president did not have the authority to carry it out.

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The ruling said the constitutional changes used to extend Mohamud's mandate could not be applied retrospectively to his current term. Mohamud's four-year mandate expired in May, but his administration extended it by one year through law changes approved by parliament in March. Opposition figures have accused him of using those changes to prolong his rule, while the president has argued that the reforms are needed to move Somalia towards fully democratic elections.

The court also ordered political leaders to agree on an electoral plan within 30 days and to hold elections within 90 days. That timetable could disrupt government plans for nationwide polls next year and adds pressure to a political system already under strain. In a separate decision, the court declared the chief justice's dismissal null and void, saying judicial independence had been interfered with.

The dispute matters because Somalia has not held nationwide direct elections since 1969 and still relies on a clan-based system in which elders choose representatives. The country has also been affected by civil war for more than 30 years, and Islamist militant group al-Shabaab controls many rural areas. Against that backdrop, any breakdown in relations between the presidency and the courts risks complicating efforts to build a more stable electoral framework.

The confrontation has also drawn in senior political figures. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the ruling and said the country was facing a grave political crisis, urging Mohamud to adopt a consensus-based approach. Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire went further, accusing the president of deploying security forces to the Supreme Court and trying to arrest the chief justice, allegations that underline how sharply the dispute has escalated.

The presidency said the chief justice was removed after complaints about the administration of justice and in the interests of a transparent judiciary. The court rejected that explanation and said the chief justice could only be removed through established constitutional procedures. What remains unclear is whether political leaders will meet the court's deadlines, how the presidency will respond, and whether the standoff will lead to further institutional confrontation in the coming days.

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