The current major political discourse in Somalia is around the so-called 2016 Vision, which was setup in 2012 for the country to come out of clan-centred politics to a genuine
democracy-centred format.
The cornerstone of the Vision was to institute democratic mechanisms that would produce a parliament through popular vote that would replace the
current clan-nominated legislature. Had the vision succeeded, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would have gone into history as the last clan-selected president of Somalia; or, if one would be charitable, he would have been remembered as the man who ended the
ignominious clan politics in Somalia.
Unfortunately, the President not only backpedalled on his election promises but also contributed to the paralysis of the executive by engineering the fall of successive governments using unsavoury parliamentary procedures, resulting in his appointment of three Prime Ministers in as many years.
President Hassan’s strong support for the maintenance of clan-centric politics for the selection of the next parliament is not surprising because, as an incumbent, it would give him a better chance for re-election than a new candidate. According to first hand testimony, the highest bidder won in the 2012 presidential election, and if the process is repeated in the 2016, the outcome would not be different. What happens in 2016 will be the subject of
further discussions no doubt, but the prospect of agreement between the political leadership does not look promising. The National Consultative Forum which was convened in Mogadishu on 19 and 20 October, and the public consultations that followed in some of the cities of the Federal States did not
produce a political roadmap for the future. It was however acknowledged that the much talked about “one person, one vote” election would not take place in 2016, while an extension of term for the current Government was ruled out, since such an action would be tantamount to rewarding failure.
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