# The 1984 Somali parliamentary election

> Somalia's 1984 People's Assembly election: the single SRSP list, the official 99.84 percent result, the 1984 constitutional amendments, and the elections that never came in 1989.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/somali-parliamentary-election-1984/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

"On polling day, the single list of 171 [Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party](/en/history/somali-democratic-republic-1969-1991/) (SRSP) candidates was presented to the electorate and received 99.84% of the votes cast. A total of 46 members were newcomers to the People's Assembly," the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) recorded of the vote of 31 December 1984 ([IPU, *Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections* XIX, 1984–85, pp. 101–102](http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/SOMALIA_1984_E.PDF)).

It was "the second since the 1969 coup d'Etat" (same source). For the first, see [the 1979 parliamentary election](/en/history/somali-parliamentary-election-1979/).

## The rules

From the IPU:

- **The Assembly.** 171 members elected for five years, plus up to six appointed by the President.
- **Who could vote.** Citizens aged 18 or over. "Disqualified are the insane, prisoners and persons interdicted from public life or deprived of electoral rights consequent to a penal conviction."
- **Who could stand.** Electors "who are literate, aged 21 or above and loyal to the policy of the Revolution (of 1969), the Party Statute and Programme". "Disqualified are persons creed to tribalism, regionalism or personal interests, and those notorious for acting against the public interests."
- **One list.** The whole country was one constituency. The SRSP Central Committee proposed "a national list which includes at least 20 reserve candidates". "Each elector votes for the list as a whole. The election is deemed valid if a majority of the electorate approves this same list; in the event of rejection, another poll is held within six months."
- **The date** was set by decree of the President, Major General [Mohamed Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/).

The Library of Congress adds that "critics and opponents of the regime were not permitted to run in either the 1979 or the 1984 election" ([Library of Congress, *Somalia: A Country Study*, "Legislature"](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/68.htm)).

## The result

The official figures, as given by the IPU:

| | |
|---|---|
| Registered electors | 4,220,466 |
| Voters | 4,214,667 (99.86%) |
| Blank or void ballots | 1,990 |
| Valid votes | 4,212,677 |
| Votes for the SRSP list | 4,207,977 |
| Seats won by the SRSP | 171 of 171 |

The Assembly, with its appointed members, had 152 men and 25 women (IPU).

## The 1984 constitutional amendments

"In December 1984, Siad Barre sought to broaden his political base by amending the constitution. One amendment extended the president's term from six to seven years. Another amendment stipulated that the president was to be elected by universal suffrage (Siad Barre always received 99 percent of the vote in such elections) rather than by the National Assembly. The assembly rubber-stamped these amendments, thereby presiding over its own disenfranchisement" ([Library of Congress, "Somalia's difficult decade, 1980–90"](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/27.htm)).

The first direct presidential vote under these rules followed in 1986. See [the 1986 presidential election](/en/history/somali-presidential-election-1986/).

## The last Assembly

"The elections scheduled for 1989 were postponed as a result of the civil strife that by then had engulfed most of the country." "The People's Assembly was not in session when the Siad Barre government was toppled" (Library of Congress, "Legislature"). See [the fall of Mogadishu, 1991](/en/history/fall-of-mogadishu-1991/).

## Who suffered?

- **Critics and opponents of the government,** who were barred from standing (Library of Congress, "Legislature").
- **People judged disloyal,** "tribalist" or "regionalist", who were disqualified as candidates under the electoral rules (IPU).

## Sources differ

- **The result.** The IPU gives 99.84 percent of votes cast, counting blank and void ballots; as a share of valid votes the same figures come to 99.89 percent. The Library of Congress says only "more than 99 percent".

## Read the primary sources yourself

- Inter-Parliamentary Union, *Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections* XIX (1984–85), Somalia, pp. 101–102: [PDF](http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/SOMALIA_1984_E.PDF).
- Library of Congress, *Somalia: A Country Study* (1993): ["Legislature"](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/68.htm); ["Somalia's difficult decade, 1980–90"](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/27.htm).

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