Somalia's parliament approved constitutional changes shifting the country's electoral model from clan-based voting to indirect universal suffrage and extending lawmakers' and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's terms by one year, effectively postponing the general election scheduled this year to 2027, Reuters reported on March 5. However, the opposition Somali Future Council coalition, or SFC, which includes the state governments of Puntland and Jubaland, said it did not recognize the constitutional changes as lawful.

Somalia has operated under a provisional constitution since 2012, and Mohamud vowed to transition toward a permanent constitution after returning to office in 2022. Somalia's electoral model has been based on the "4.5" clan-based voting system since 2000 according to which clan elders select lawmakers representing their clan and elect the president. The federal government and the SFC held talks in February regarding Somalia's electoral model, but negotiations collapsed after both sides refused to compromise.