Parliament and the courts
Speakers of the Somali Parliament since 1956 (Guddoomiyeyaasha Baarlamaanka)
Somalia's parliament has had 15 speakers since the office was created in 1956, starting with Aden Abdulle Osman, who later became the first President. Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur has been Speaker of the House of the People since 10 August 2026. The Upper House, created in 2016, has been led by Abdi Hashi Abdullahi since 2017. The speaker acts as President when the President is absent.
What the speaker does
The Speaker chairs parliament's sittings, represents the house and runs its work. Each house elects its Speaker and deputies by secret ballot (Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 65, via Constitute Project). When the President is temporarily absent, through illness or travel, the Speaker of the House of the People acts as President (List of speakers of the Parliament of Somalia, Wikipedia). For the houses themselves, see Federal Parliament; for their current members, see Members of the Federal Parliament.
National Assembly, 1956 to 1969
| No. | Speaker | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aden Abdulle Osman | 29 February 1956 | 1 July 1960 |
| acting | Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf | 1 July 1960 | 26 July 1960 |
| 2 | Jama Abdullahi Qalib | 26 July 1960 | 26 May 1964 |
| 3 | Ahmed Mohamed Obsiye | 26 May 1964 | 1 March 1967 |
| 4 | Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein | 1 March 1967 | 21 October 1969 |
Source: Wikipedia. Aden Abdulle Osman left the post on 1 July 1960 to become the first President of the Somali Republic. Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein was acting President after President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was killed in October 1969, until the army took power on 21 October 1969. See The civilian era, 1960 to 1969.
People's Assembly, 1979 to 1991
Parliament did not sit from 1969 to 1979. The People's Assembly elected under the 1979 constitution had three speakers (Wikipedia):
| No. | Speaker | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Ismail Ali Abokor | 5 August 1979 | 26 January 1982 |
| 6 | Mohamed Ibrahim Liqliiqato | 26 January 1982 | 1 November 1989 |
| 7 | Hussein Kulmiye Afrah | 1 November 1989 | 22 January 1991 |
Transitional parliaments, 2000 to 2012
| No. | Speaker | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Abdallah Isaaq Deerow | 9 August 2000 | 14 September 2004 |
| 9 | Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden | 14 September 2004 | 17 January 2007 |
| 10 | Aden Mohamed Nur "Madobe" | 17 January 2007 | 25 May 2010 |
| 11 | Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden | 25 May 2010 | 20 August 2012 |
Source: Wikipedia. See Transitional governments, 2000 to 2012.
House of the People, 2012 to today
| No. | Speaker | From | To | How elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acting | Muse Hassan Abdulle | 20 August 2012 | 28 August 2012 | Oldest member |
| 12 | Mohamed Osman Jawari | 28 August 2012 | 9 April 2018 | Elected 2012; re-elected January 2017 with 141 votes |
| 13 | Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman | 30 April 2018 | April 2022 | 147 of 265 votes in the second round |
| 14 | Aden Mohamed Nur "Madobe" | April 2022 | 11 June 2026 | 163 of 252 votes in the second round |
| 15 | Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur | 10 August 2026 | today | 142 votes |
Sources: MPR News / AP, August 2012; Africanews, January 2017; Africanews, April 2018; Anadolu Agency, April 2022; Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026.
- Jawari resigned in April 2018 before a no-confidence motion against him was to be tabled (Africanews, April 2018).
- Aden Madobe, who had already been speaker from 2007 to 2010, left the post when he was elected President of South West State in June 2026 (AllAfrica, June 2026). First Deputy Speaker Saadia Samatar, elected in 2022 as Somalia's first woman deputy speaker, acted as Speaker until August (The EastAfrican, 2022).
- An opposition group rejected the August 2026 election as invalid, saying parliament's term had ended (Dawan Africa, August 2026).
Upper House, 2016 to today
The Upper House (also called the Senate) was created in 2016. Abdi Hashi Abdullahi has been its Speaker since 2017. He was re-elected on 26 April 2022 with 28 votes, against 24 for Salah Jama and 2 for Osman Dubbe (Africanews, April 2022; Upper House, leadership).
Its legal basis
Article 65 of the 2012 Provisional Constitution, as amended in 2024 and 2026; the rules of procedure of each house.
Sources
- Provisional Constitution 2012, Article 65, via Constitute Project · constituteproject.org
- List of speakers of the Parliament of Somalia, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- MPR News / AP, August 2012 · mprnews.org
- Africanews, January 2017 · africanews.com
- Africanews, April 2018 · africanews.com
- Anadolu Agency, April 2022 · aa.com.tr
- Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026 · dawan.africa
- AllAfrica, June 2026 · allafrica.com
- The EastAfrican, 2022 · theeastafrican.co.ke
- Dawan Africa, August 2026 · dawan.africa
- Africanews, April 2022 · africanews.com
- Upper House, leadership · senate.gov.so
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Where this matters
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.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- 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.
Keep reading
- Federal Parliament of Somalia: the House of the People and the Upper HouseWhat Somalia's Federal Parliament does, how its 329 seats are filled, who sits in each house, and the laws behind it, from 1960 to 2026.
- Constitution of Somalia (Dastuurka Soomaaliya): 1960 to 2026Somalia's constitutions from 1960 to 2026: the 1960 constitution, the 1979 constitution, the 2000 and 2004 charters, the 2012 Provisional Constitution, and the 2024 and 2026 amendments, with the votes and the dispute over them.
- Members of Somalia's Federal Parliament (Xildhibaannada Baarlamaanka Federaalka)Lists of the members of Somalia's Federal Parliament: all 54 senators of the Upper House by member state, and the House of the People members in the official directory, with seat numbers and roles.
- Elections in Somalia: how voting and selection work (Doorashooyinka Soomaaliya)How Somalia chooses its parliament and President: the elections of 1956 to 1969, one-party votes under the military government, the clan-delegate system of 2000 to 2022, the 2024 election laws, the 2025 and 2026 direct votes and the 2027 timetable.
- Politics of Somalia: how power is shared (Siyaasadda Soomaaliya)How politics works in Somalia: the federal system, clan power-sharing, political parties from the Somali Youth League to the Justice and Solidarity Party, the opposition Somali Future Council, and relations with the member states.
- Somalia's courts: the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court and how the judiciary worksHow Somalia's courts are organised, what the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court do, who appoints judges, and the laws behind them, with sources.