Mogadishu – The Federal Government of Somalia and a faction of the opposition announced on Monday that they have reached a joint agreement on the framework for the country’s upcoming elections.

Under the deal, the President of Somalia will be elected by the Federal Parliament, while leaders of federal member states will be chosen directly by their respective regional parliaments.

The agreement also grants the President the authority to appoint a Prime Minister, subject to approval or dismissal by the House of the People. Furthermore, any political party that secures at least 10 percent of seats in the Federal Parliament will be officially recognized as a national party.

The upcoming elections will be conducted under the 2024 Electoral Law, and both sides pledged to accelerate the completion of Somalia’s draft constitution to strengthen legitimacy and advance state-building efforts.

The government and opposition signatories urged all political actors to unite in expediting the country’s democratic transition.

The announcement comes amid divisions within the opposition’s Forum for National Salvation. One faction — led by former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid, along with former parliamentary speakers Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden and Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, and former Information Minister Tahir Mahmoud Gelle — signed the agreement with the government. However, another faction, led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Ministers Hassan Ali Khaire and Mohamed Hussein Roble, rejected the government’s electoral proposal.