Why Somalia Needs One Person, One Vote: A Democratic Imperative

For more than three decades, Somalia has navigated a fragile political terrain dominated by clan-based power sharing, elite negotiations, and externally mediated settlements. While these mechanisms were intended as temporary stabilizers in a post-conflict context, they have calcified into barriers to democratic governance, popular participation, and genuine sovereignty. Today, the need for a national transition to a one person, one vote electoral system is not just a political choice—it is a democratic necessity.

The Problem with Clan Politics

Somalia’s current model distributes power not through popular mandates, but through indirect selections mediated by clan elders. While historically useful in curbing violence and ensuring representation among major clans, this system now:

• Excludes ordinary citizens from meaningful political participation

• Reinforces elite capture, corruption, and vote-buying

• Marginalizes youth, women, and minority groups

• Undermines accountability, transparency, and state legitimacy

By privileging lineage over merit and loyalty over leadership, the clan system blocks the emergence of issue-based politics and entrenches division over unity.

The Case for One Person, One Vote

A direct electoral system based on universal suffrage would mark a foundational shift in Somali governance. It would:

• Empower the people: Restoring the right to vote to every adult Somali redefines citizenship and reclaims public ownership of the state.

• Dismantle clientelism: Reducing reliance on clan elders opens space for competitive, program-driven political parties.

• Promote inclusion: Women, youth, and historically excluded communities gain the power to influence leadership and policy.

• Build national cohesion: When citizens across regions and clans vote in the same system, they participate in a shared national project.

Puntland’s Precedent—and National Lessons

The historic local elections in Puntland on 25 May 2023 serve as a model of what’s possible. By allowing voters to cast ballots directly for their representatives, Puntland broke with tradition and opened the door to a more democratic future. Although challenges remain—such as elite mistrust, weak institutions, and clan-based political interference—Puntland’s step forward proves that direct elections are both feasible and demanded by the public.

International Silence, Somali Agency

While Somalia’s allies praise democratic reforms in other regions—from Ukraine to Sudan—many remain passive or ambiguous when it comes to Somalia. The continued tolerance for elite-engineered, donor-backed political deals erodes public faith in both international actors and Somalia’s own institutions. Somalia must define its own democratic path, rooted in the will of its people—not in the calculations of foreign sponsors.

What Must Happen Next

To secure a democratic transition, Somalia must:

1. Implement direct elections at all levels—local, state, and federal—across all member states.

2. Dismantle the 4.5 formula and replace it with proportional, constituency-based systems.

3. Institutionalize electoral integrity through independent commissions, transparent funding, and legal accountability.

4. Empower civil society to monitor, participate in, and defend democratic processes.

5. Protect electoral sovereignty from external interference and illicit political financing.

Let the People Decide

Somalis do not want stability without voice, or sovereignty without participation. The demand is clear: Let Somalia vote. Not through intermediaries or tribal councils, but directly—freely and equally.

Democracy is not a privilege imported from abroad; it is a right long overdue at home. The road to lasting peace, accountable leadership, and national unity begins at the ballot box.

It is time to transition from clan dominance to citizen sovereignty.From silence to suffrage.From elite consensus to popular legitimacy.