Somalia Supreme Court says president term extension unlawful

Somalia's Supreme Court ruled on November 5 that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's one-year term extension was unlawful, saying constitutional amendments passed in March did not apply to his current term and that he should have left office in May.

Mohamud's term ended in May, but his government declared a transition period giving him an extra year in office to prepare for nationwide democratic elections due in April and May 2027. Mohamud had argued that the extension was legal under constitutional amendments approved by parliament, a vote boycotted by opposition parties and regional leaders.

The extension had sparked violent clashes with the opposition.

Late on November 4, Mohamud announced that he was dismissing Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed and appointing a replacement. The presidency said on Facebook that the dismissal was linked to concerns about the need for an efficient and fair judiciary, and did not mention the pending constitutional decision.

The Supreme Court rejected the dismissal in a separate statement, saying the move was designed "to obstruct the administration of justice in the constitutional case filed before the Supreme Court". It said the dismissal was "null and void".