Somalia has been thrust into a fresh episode of political instability after the country’s Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional President Hasan Sheij Mohamud’s decree extending his term in office by an additional year. The landmark decision, issued Thursday by the five judges of the high court, has deepened an already volatile standoff between the executive and the judiciary, and threatens to further destabilize a nation long plagued by separatist movements and fragile institutions.
The court declared “invalid” the presidential decree that would have allowed Mohamud to remain in office until May 15, 2027. In justifying its verdict, the bench cited the failure of talks between the government and the opposition to organize elections, a deadlock that has paralyzed the country’s democratic transition. The ruling orders “to annul and render ineffective all procedures and measures taken to amend the provisional Constitution of 2012,” explicitly including “the extension of the constitutional term of the elected institutions, namely, the two chambers of the Federal Parliament, the President of the Republic and the Federal Government.”
The decision traces back to last May, when Mohamud unilaterally extended his mandate, a move that immediately drew unanimous rejection from opposition political blocs. Since then, various political groups have ceased to recognize Mohamud as the legitimate head of the Somali Executive, eroding his authority and raising questions about who legitimately governs the country. The court’s ruling now formalizes that rejection, casting serious doubt over the legal basis of the president’s continued stay in power.
In a striking parallel development, the court issued a separate note rejecting Mohamud’s dismissal of its own president, magistrate Baashe Yusuf Ahmed, which the head of state ordered on Wednesday night. The five judges concluded that the removal of the Supreme Court’s top official “lacks any legal basis” and accused Mohamud of attempting to “interfere” in the judicial review concerning the extension of his term. The timing of the dismissal—coming just as the court was reviewing the legality of the president’s continued rule—was widely interpreted as a reprisal against the judiciary.
The Presidency had announced Ahmed’s replacement through social media on Wednesday, claiming that complaints filed by prosecutors and other magistrates justified the move. It further stated that Ahmed would be replaced by his predecessor, Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, framing the decision as part of a reform package aimed at ensuring Somali citizens have a “transparent and reliable judicial system.” Suleiman’s return to the leadership of the Supreme Court would come eight years after he was dismissed by then-President Mohamed Abdullahi ‘Farmaajo.’
The confrontation now pits Somalia’s executive directly against its highest judicial authority, creating a constitutional crisis with no clear resolution in sight. The ruling deepens uncertainty over the country’s political future at a time when it can ill afford further instability. Somalia continues to grapple with the presence of separatist states such as Puntland and Jubaland, which have long charted their own political courses, and the federal government’s weakened legitimacy could embolden regional actors to further distance themselves from Mogadishu.
The opposition has rallied behind the court’s decision, and pressure is mounting on Mohamud to respect the ruling and step aside. How the president responds—whether he complies with the court or attempts to push back against the judiciary—will likely determine whether Somalia can chart a path toward elections or descends further into political paralysis.
