Somalia's government has announced that the country will elect the president and other officials by direct suffrage from next year. In past years, the president was elected by a vote of deputies, while tribal leaders and notables elected members of the federal parliament and regional councils.
The country was initially scheduled to transition to universal suffrage in 2020, but disagreements between politicians and continued insecurity across the country forced the government to maintain the indirect voting system. The first step in this direction was taken last week in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland.