Mogadishu, Somalia – The 6th session of Somalia’s Federal Parliament is officially set to open on Saturday, February 22, 2025, after being delayed for more than 15 days.

The leadership of both houses of the Federal Parliament announced that the 6th session of the 11th Parliament will officially begin on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

In a press statement released last night, the parliamentary leadership stated that they had held consultative meetings regarding the reopening of the session and had decided to resume parliamentary activities.

“The Federal Parliament of Somalia will begin its 6th session on Saturday, February 22, 2025. All Members of Parliament and Senators are instructed to report to duty.” stated The official statement from both houses.

Reason Behind the Delay

The announcement comes after the originally scheduled reopening date of February 6, meaning the session has been delayed by 16 days.

The parliamentary leadership did not specify the reason for the delay, but President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to formally open the session on Saturday.

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) had previously called for an urgent reopening of the session, even threatening to hold their own session if the delay continued.

MP Abdirashid Xidig, a member of the House of the People, spoke during a Himilo Qaran Party meeting on February 15, strongly criticizing the delay and urging the Speaker to reopen Parliament immediately. He suggested that the delay was due to concerns over a possible no-confidence motion against the government.

“If Parliament is not reopened, MPs will hold sessions elsewhere. If the delay is due to fears of a no-confidence motion, let me confirm that the motion is ready, signed, and will be submitted. Someone will be removed, but Parliament cannot be held hostage,” Xidig declared.

Somalia’s Parliament went on a two-month recess on December 5, 2024, after completing the approval of members of the Independent National Electoral and Border Commission.

This approval was met with strong opposition from the political opposition and some federal states, who rejected the process used to select the commission members.