Somalia’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the extension of the president’s term by one year was unlawful. The decision arrived after the move sparked violent clashes with the opposition.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud finished his term in May. His administration subsequently declared a transition period granting him an extra year in office to prepare for the first nationwide democratic elections, scheduled for April and May 2027.
Mohamud maintained that the extension was legal under constitutional amendments passed by parliament in March. Opposition parties and regional leaders completely boycotted that vote.
The Supreme Court delivered its verdict on Thursday. The bench ruled that the amendments did not apply to the current presidential term, concluding that Mohamud should have stepped down in May.
The ruling followed a swift political maneuver by the executive branch. Mohamud announced late Wednesday that he was dismissing Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed and appointing a replacement.
Unconfirmed reports circulated on Thursday suggesting that Ahmed was under arrest. A statement from the presidency, published on Facebook, made no mention of the impending constitutional decision.
The presidency explained the dismissal by citing concerns regarding the need for an efficient and fair judiciary. The court immediately rejected the dismissal in a separate public statement.
The judiciary stated that the removal was designed to obstruct the administration of justice in the constitutional case filed before the Supreme Court. The court declared that the dismissal announced on the presidency Facebook page was null and void.
