Cabinet of Somalia agreed on Election Model outlined by Mogadishu Declaration 2015

Cabinet of Somalia on 28 January 2016 agreed on Election Model outlined by the Mogadishu Declaration.

The declaration, which was adopted in December 2015,  calls for the electoral process in Somalia to establish a new, bicameral Federal Parliament in 2016, based on inclusivity and representation.

The election model paves the way for formation of new government as the term of non-elected Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is set to expire in 2016 after serving for about four years.

The new electoral model envisioned a 275-member lower house which maintains a power-sharing formula among clans and a 54-member upper house based on equal representation of existing, emerging and prospective federal states plus additional seats for Puntland and Somaliland.

It also requires that a minimum of 30 percent of seats be reserved for women.

Highlights of Mogadishu Declaration

• It established 7 key principles and actions basing on which the precise details of a final electoral model and the plan for implementing that model to be evolved for formation of new government in Somalia in 2016.
• As per the declaration, representation in the country’s next federal parliament will be based on a balance between constituencies and clan affiliation.
• It stipulates that the representation of women in the legislative branch shall be increased by guaranteeing them a minimum number of reserved seats in both the upper and lower houses of the federal parliament.
• It also ensures a full role for Somali women and youth in the electoral caucuses that will be held in each of the country’s federal member states and also as candidates for public office.

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