Constitution of Somaliland (Dastuurka Somaliland)

Background

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Israel recognised it on 26 December 2025, while most states and the African Union regard it as part of Somalia. Its constitution applies in the areas it governs. For the institutions it sets up, see Somaliland's institutions. For its history since 1991, see Somaliland, 1991 to 2026.

How it was made

The preamble sets out the steps that led to the constitution (Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland, English translation, SomalilandLaw.com):

• Burao, 1991: the Conference of the Somaliland Communities met in Burao from 27 April to 5 May 1991 and declared independence with effect from 18 May 1991.
• Borama, 1993: the Conference of Elders in Borama, from 24 January to 25 May 1993, adopted a National Charter. The charter called for a constitution within a year.
• Hargeisa, 1996 and 1997: the third Grand Conference, on 26 November 1996, set up a Constitution Working Party to sift two drafts. An interim constitution was adopted in Hargeisa in February 1997 (Constitution of Somaliland, Wikipedia).
• Parliament, 2000: both houses of parliament made corrections and amendments on 30 April 2000.
• The referendum, 2001: voters approved the text on 31 May 2001, with 97.1 percent in favour (Elections in Somaliland, Wikipedia).

The final text has a preamble and five chapters, with 130 articles, down from 156 in the 1997 version (Wikipedia, as above).

What it says

The state

• Article 2: the territory is the area of the former British Somaliland Protectorate. It borders the Gulf of Aden, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
• Article 3: the capital is Hargeisa.
• Article 5: Islam is the state religion, and promoting any other religion is prohibited. Laws must be grounded on Islamic Sharia and must not go against it. The Islamic and Gregorian calendars are both used.
• Article 6: Somali is the official language, and Arabic is the second.
• Article 9: there may be no more than three political parties, and no party may be based on region or clan.

Source: SomalilandLaw.com translation.

Rights. Part Three lists individual rights and freedoms. Article 36 gives women the same rights, freedoms and duties as men, "save for matters which are specifically ordained in Islamic Sharia". It also directs the government to legislate against practices that are contrary to Sharia and harm women (same source).

Parliament

• House of Representatives: 82 members, elected directly by secret ballot for five years (Articles 40 and 42). If war, instability, a disaster, an epidemic or famine prevents an election, the outgoing House stays on until a new one is elected. The House of Elders decides this on the cabinet's proposal (Article 42).
• House of Elders (Guurti): 82 members, chosen "in a manner to be determined by law", for six years (Articles 58 and 60). Former Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Speakers, and five people named by the President, sit as honorary members without a vote. The Guurti passes laws on religion, tradition and security. It reviews other bills, except money bills, and can send a bill back once (Article 61).

The President

• Election: the President and Vice-President are elected together by direct secret ballot (Article 83).
• Term: five years, and no one may serve more than two terms (Article 88).
• Who can stand: a candidate must be a Somaliland citizen by birth with no other citizenship, a Muslim and at least 40 years old (Article 82).

The courts. The Supreme Court is also the Constitutional Court, with a chairman and at least four other judges (Article 101). The President appoints them after consulting the Judicial Commission. Parliament confirms the chairman at a joint sitting (Article 105).

Amendments

• Who can propose: the President, after consulting the cabinet, or one third of either house (Article 126).
• Approval: two thirds of the total membership of each house, voting separately.
• Limits: no amendment may conflict with Islamic Sharia, the country's territorial unity, democracy and the multi-party system, or fundamental rights (Article 127).

The constitution in practice

• Term extensions: the House of Elders has extended terms before, a practice Dawan Africa notes continues to be debated. In April 2026 it extended the terms of the House of Representatives and district councils by 27 months, to October 2028 (Dawan Africa, April 2026).
• The three-party contest: the three-party rule decides which parties may stand. Every ten years, political associations compete for the three places, most recently in November 2024. See Elections in Somaliland.

Its legal basis

The Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland, approved by referendum on 31 May 2001. The text used here is the English translation by SomalilandLaw.com; the Somali text is the official one.