Opposition leaders in Somalia, including former President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, former Prime Ministers Omar Abdirashid, Said Shirdoon, Hassan Khayre, Mohamed Roble, and former Speakers of Parliament Sheikh Hassan and Mohamed Mursal, have opened a major meeting in Mogadishu today.

The meeting, held at the Jazeera Hotel and lasting three days, will begin with internal discussions on work rules and shared principles on the first day. On the second day, they will hold consultations with representatives from civil society. The final day will feature a public session at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, including speeches and an official press statement.

The main agenda focuses on the united rejection of the current government’s “One Person, One Vote” electoral system and the finalization of the constitution.

Sources close to the opposition leaders confirmed to Dawan Media that they also oppose the indirect election system used in 2022, but have not yet presented a specific alternative. The meeting is also expected to call for a national conference outside the current federal system to establish an interim government and a governing council.

Former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and leaders of the Jubbaland and Puntland administrations are expected to support the meeting’s statement, although they have not openly criticized the 2022 indirect election system.

Additionally, next week in Nairobi, a closed-door meeting organized by the Puntland Development and Research Center (PDRC) and Somali Public Agenda will discuss feasible election methods, with the aim of producing joint recommendations supported by international stakeholders.