Hassan Sheikh Calls for Rule-Based Politics as Critics Ask Whether His Own Government Is Operating Outside the Rules

By Abdullahi A. Nor

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called on Somalia to move beyond personality-driven politics and establish stronger institutions capable of clearly defining who makes national decisions, how those decisions are reached, and which institutions are accountable for implementing them. It is a message that sounds difficult to dispute.

Yet coming from a presidency facing persistent accusations from opposition leaders of constitutional overreach, political engineering and the concentration of power, it also raises an uncomfortable question: is the President describing the Somalia he wants—or the Somalia his critics say his government is helping to create?

Speaking at an event focused on education, national institution-building and the development of Somalia’s human capital, Hassan Sheikh argued that the country cannot achieve sustainable progress while political decision-making remains dominated by individuals and political groups. He urged Somalis to “wake up” and build a political system capable of replacing personality-based politics with institutions governed by clearly defined rules.