The Republic, 1960 to 1991
The 1979 Somali constitutional referendum
On 25 August 1979 Somalia voted in a referendum on a new constitution for the Somali Democratic Republic, ten years after the 1969 coup. The official result was 3,597,592 votes for and 7,898 against, or 99.78 percent in favour. The constitution set up a presidential system in which the President was both head of state and head of government, with one legal party, the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party, and a People's Assembly. It took effect with presidential approval on 23 September 1979 and stayed in force, as amended in 1984, until the government fell in 1991.
In short
"In August 1979, a new Constitution was approved by popular referendum," the Inter-Parliamentary Union recorded (IPU, Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections XIV, 1979–80). The CIA's World Factbook dates the constitution "25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979" (The World Factbook 1990, Somalia).
"The constitution of 1979 provided for a presidential system under which the president served as both head of state and head of government" (Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study, "Constitution"). For the state it governed, see the Somali Democratic Republic, 1969–1991.
The result
The official figures, from the African Elections Database (as cited by Wikipedia):
| Choice | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| For | 3,597,592 | 99.78% |
| Against | 7,898 | 0.22% |
| Total | 3,605,490 |
Background
- After the coup. "Following the 1969 general elections, Parliament was dissolved later in the year and the military took command of the country." In 1976 the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP) was formed as "the country's sole legal political party" (IPU). See the Siad Barre era.
- Outside pressure. After the Ogaden War, "Western countries were also pressuring the regime to liberalize economic and political life" (Library of Congress, "Somalia's difficult decade, 1980–90").
What the constitution set up
From the Library of Congress (Somalia: A Country Study, "Constitution" and "Legislature"):
- The President. Head of state and head of government, choosing and chairing the Council of Ministers. The President was first to be "elected to a six-year, renewable term of office by a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature".
- Powers. The President could "conduct foreign affairs, declare war, invoke emergency powers, serve as commander in chief of the armed forces, and appoint one or more vice presidents, the president of the Supreme Court, up to six members of the national legislature, and the members of the Council of Ministers".
- The legislature. A single-chamber People's Assembly of 177 members, 171 elected and 6 appointed, serving five years (Library of Congress, "Legislature"). The President could dissolve it early.
- Voting. "Somalia had universal suffrage for persons over eighteen years of age, but women did not play a significant role in politics."
Compared with 1961
"The constitution of 1979 resembled the constitution of 1961, also approved in a nationwide referendum." "The main difference between the two documents concerned executive power. The constitution of 1961 had provided for a parliamentary democracy, with the prime minister and Council of Ministers (cabinet) being drawn from the membership of the legislature" (Library of Congress, "Constitution"). See the 1960 constitution.
What followed
- December 1979. The first People's Assembly was elected from SRSP lists. See the 1979 parliamentary election.
- 1984. Amendments, also approved by referendum, made the presidency a seven-year office chosen by direct vote (Library of Congress, "Constitution"). See the 1984 parliamentary election and the 1986 presidential election.
- After 1991. The provisional government planned a new constitution, but "those provisions of the constitution of 1979 that had not been specifically voided by the interim government remained in force" (same source). See the Interim Government of 1991 and Somalia's constitutions.
Who suffered?
- Opponents of the government, who had no legal party: the SRSP was "the country's sole legal political party" (IPU), and critics "were not permitted to run" in the Assembly elections that followed (Library of Congress, "Legislature").
Sources differ
- The result. The figures above come from the African Elections Database as cited by Wikipedia. The IPU and Library of Congress sources linked here give no vote count for the referendum.
Read the primary sources yourself
- Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study (1993): "Constitution"; "Legislature"; "Somalia's difficult decade, 1980–90".
- Inter-Parliamentary Union, Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections XIV (1979–80), Somalia: PDF.
- The World Factbook 1990, Somalia: text.
Sources
- IPU, Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections XIV, 1979–80 · archive.ipu.org
- The World Factbook 1990, Somalia · en.wikisource.org
- Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study, "Constitution" · countrystudies.us
- as cited by Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Library of Congress, "Somalia's difficult decade, 1980–90" · countrystudies.us
- Library of Congress, "Legislature" · countrystudies.us
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Where it happened
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
- Ethiopia (Somali refugees and the Somali Region)About 368,000 refugees from Somalia live in Ethiopia (Oct 2026): numbers since 1988, Dollo Ado, Jijiga, Addis Ababa's Bole Michael, the law and aid cuts.
- Finland (Somali diaspora)28,167 Somali speakers lived in Finland at the end of 2025, more than half in Helsinki. Numbers, history, work, leaders and ties home.
Keep reading
- The 1960 Constitution of the Somali RepublicThe 1960 Somali Constitution in its own words: the republic, equal rights, the flag, Islam, the National Assembly, the president, and the 1961 referendum.
- How Somali came to be written: from Osmanya to the 1972 Latin alphabetThe history of written Somali: Arabic-script writing, Osmanya, Borama and Kaddare scripts, the 1972 Latin alphabet, and the 1974 literacy campaign.
- The Somali Democratic Republic, 1969–1991: how the state was runHow the Somali Democratic Republic was run, 1969–1991: the SRC, the single party, the 1979 constitution, the courts, the NSS, local government and the script.
- The 1964 Somali parliamentary electionSomalia's first post-independence national election, March 1964: the parties, the results, women's vote in the north, and the crisis over the prime minister.
- The 1969 Somali parliamentary electionSomalia's last multi-party vote, March 1969: 64 parties, the SYL win, the rush to join it, fraud charges, and the road to the October 1969 coup.
- Kenya's Northern Frontier District, 1962–1967: the vote that was not followedKenya's NFD, 1962–1967: the British commission, the March 1963 decision, the break with Britain, the conflict that followed, and the Arusha memorandum.