Efforts are underway to finalize the provisional constitution and organize one-person, one-vote (OPOV) elections. These processes are, however, complicated by three issues: their contested nature; the deteriorated relationship between Mogadishu and Puntland and Jubaland; and the limited time left in the four-year mandate of the current federal government (parliament and president). Ongoing dialogue between federal government leadership and key opposition politicians is encouraging, but concrete options and potential solutions for resolving outstanding issues related to strained FGS–FMS relations, the unfinished constitutional review process and how to transition to a new electoral model remain ambiguous.

Jointly developed by Somali Public Agenda (SPA) and Puntland Development and Research Centre (PDRC), this policy paper presents a range of options and potential solutions for resolving these three contentious political issues. The analysis herein is the outcome of mapping the three most critical political issues, roundtable discussions that brought together 142 Somali political and civic actors for focused discussions, two focus group discussions with Puntland and Jubaland government officials and key informant interviews. Based on these findings, this policy paper describes and explains the rationale, process, merits and limitations of each proposed option and potential solution.