Somalia’s Expired Parliament: A Legislature Serving Villa Somalia at the Expense of the People

Mogadishu (WDN) — Somalia’s Federal Parliament has once again come under scrutiny after lawmakers voted down an opposition motion seeking to place the Doolow attack on the parliamentary agenda —a decision critics say exposes a legislature that has become more responsive to Villa Somalia than to the Somali public.

The vote came during a tense parliamentary session in which opposition lawmakers sought to force a debate over the attack on former Custodial Corps Commander General Mahad Abdirahman “Shub” at his residence in Doolow. The motion was rejected by a decisive margin. According to the parliamentary session, 165 lawmakers were present. Of those, 118 voted against adding the Doolow incident to the agenda, while 45 supported the motion and two abstained. The result triggered loud exchanges and disorder in the chamber as government and opposition lawmakers confronted one another over the politically sensitive issue. But the significance of the vote extends beyond the Doolow incident.

The residence of Gen Mahad in Doolow, attacked by Drones

Somalia’s Federal Parliament has been operating beyond the expiry of its constitutional mandate since April 2026, yet it continues to exercise legislative authority amid an unresolved national political and electoral crisis. Critics argue that the legitimacy problem is compounded by the parliament’s record during the period in which it still held a valid mandate.