Somalia's Supreme Court has ruled that the one-year extension of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term was unlawful. The court's five-member Constitutional Division issued the ruling in Mogadishu on Thursday, Garowe Online reported. It found that the mandates of the president, the federal government and both houses of parliament had already run out in 2026.
The court set out the expiry dates. Parliament's and the federal government's mandates ended on April 14, 2026, Garowe Online reported. Mohamud's term ended on May 15, 2026. The judges declared every action the institutions took after those dates unconstitutional, unlawful, and null and void.
The court's reasoning turned on how the 2026 constitutional amendments were drafted. According to Garowe Online, the judges said any amendment introducing new terms of office must state clearly whether it applies to sitting institutions. The 2026 changes did not. The four-year terms under the 2012 Provisional Constitution therefore still applied.
The case came from a petition by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The court threw out his challenge to the amendment process itself, ruling that he lacked legal standing. It upheld his second claim, against the extension of the mandates.
The court said the federal government may stay on as a caretaker, but only to run routine business. It ordered all parties involved in the electoral process to agree on a workable election framework within 30 days.
The ruling follows a direct clash between the president and the judiciary. On Wednesday, Mohamud removed Chief Justice Baashe Yusuf Ahmed and reinstated former Chief Justice Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, Hiiraan Online reported. On Thursday, the Supreme Court declared the dismissal null and void. It said the move was meant to interfere with the pending petition. "The statement regarding the removal of the Chief Justice published on the Presidency's Facebook page lacks any legal basis," the court said.
The presidency said it removed Baashe after complaints from judges, judicial staff and legal professionals. It said Mohamud planned wider judicial reforms. According to Hiiraan Online, it named no specific allegations against Baashe. The court rejected the complaints and defended Baashe's record on transparency and fighting corruption, The Eastleigh Voice reported. Hiiraan Online said the presidency had not responded to the court's decision at the time of reporting.
Mohamud's government had declared a "transition period" that gave him an extra year to prepare for Somalia's first nationwide democratic elections, New Vision reported. Those elections are due in April and May 2027. According to New Vision, the extension led to violent clashes with the opposition. Sharif has warned that elections held without broader political agreement could deepen instability, Hiiraan Online reported.