Federal Parliament of Somalia: the House of the People and the Upper House

What it does

The Federal Parliament is the law-making branch of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The 2012 Provisional Constitution gives it two houses: the House of the People and the Upper House (Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 55, via Constitute Project).

The House of the People passes, amends or rejects laws. It can prepare any law except the annual budget, which the Council of Ministers drafts (Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 69). It also approves the independent commissions, can call the Prime Minister and ministers to answer questions, and gives or withdraws confidence in the government (same source).

The Upper House represents the federal member states. It takes part in changing the constitution, in choosing and removing the President, and in declaring a state of emergency. It also approves members of several commissions, including the Judicial Service Commission and the electoral commission (Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 71).

How many members, and who they represent

• House of the People: 275 members. Each seat is filled through clan-based selection under the "4.5" formula, first agreed in 1997 as a temporary arrangement. The formula gives 61 seats each to the Darod, Dir, Hawiye and Rahanweyn (Digil and Mirifle) clan families and 31 seats to other communities (Rift Valley Institute, The role of 4.5 in democratisation, 2023; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Somalia).
• Upper House: 54 members chosen by state, not by clan. Puntland and Somaliland have 11 seats each. Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West have 8 each (UN Security Council briefing by UNSOM head Michael Keating, 2017, as summarised by Wikipedia).
• Women: the agreed target is 30 percent of seats. In the 2021 to 2022 selection, 54 women won House of the People seats, about 20 percent (UNDP and UNSOM electoral update, May 2022). The UN noted that the 30 percent target was not met (UN Somalia press release).

A short history

Independent Somalia's first parliament was the one-chamber National Assembly of 1960 to 1969. It stopped sitting after the army took power in October 1969, and a People's Assembly sat under the 1979 constitution (Constitution of Somalia, Wikipedia). From 2000 to 2012 the transitional parliaments met mostly outside the country, in Djibouti, Kenya and later Mogadishu.

The present parliament was formed in August 2012. Its first session met on 20 August 2012 at Mogadishu airport while the main building was being repaired (Federal Parliament of Somalia, Wikipedia). The Upper House was added in 2016. The 10th Parliament sat from 27 December 2016. The 11th Parliament was sworn in on 14 April 2022, when 250 of 275 House members and 40 of 54 Upper House members took the oath (same source).

Changes in 2024 and 2026

On 30 March 2024 both houses approved amendments to chapters 1 to 4 of the constitution. In the House of the People, 212 of 275 members voted for them; in the Upper House, 42 of 54 did (ConstitutionNet, International IDEA, 7 April 2026; SONNA). The changes let the President appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister, who still needs the confidence of the House of the People. They also set five-year terms and moved toward direct, one-person-one-vote selection of members.

On 4 March 2026 parliament approved amendments to chapters 5 to 15, with 185 House members and 37 Upper House members voting in favour. The President signed them on 8 March 2026. A public referendum on the final text is still pending (ConstitutionNet, 7 April 2026). The amended text keeps the Upper House chosen by the member-state leaders, gives Mogadishu its own Upper House seats as the capital, and extends parliament's term from four to five years. Puntland, Jubaland and later South West State said they did not accept the amendments, and opposition groups say the 11th Parliament's term ended in April 2026 (same source; Dawan Africa, August 2026).

Who leads it

Each house elects a Speaker and deputies by secret ballot (Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 65). Abdi Hashi Abdullahi has been Speaker of the Upper House since 2017. Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur was elected Speaker of the House of the People on 10 August 2026, with 142 votes, after his predecessor Aden Mohamed Nur became President of South West State (Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026).

How to use it

• Follow its work: sessions are public unless the rules say otherwise (Article 68). The state news agency SONNA reports most sittings (SONNA).
• Raise an issue: each member of the House of the People has a duty to represent the people who chose them, and each Upper House member speaks for a member state (Article 61). Contact your member through their office in Mogadishu or their state.
• Read the laws: the constitution and its amendments are published on the Constitute Project and ConstitutionNet sites linked above.

Its legal basis

Chapter 6 of the 2012 Provisional Constitution (Articles 55 to 86), as amended on 30 March 2024 and 4 March 2026.