A comparative review of Somalia’s controversial Sexual Offences Bills

A comparative review of Somalia’s controversial Sexual Offences Bills

There has been controversy surrounding the development of new legislation in Somalia addressing sexual offences, at a time when incidences of rape and other sexual violence have become rampant and impunity is pervasive. Two different bills on sexual offences have been drafted by different…

Examining the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Mogadishu

Examining the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Mogadishu

Soon after the first few cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Somalia, schools and higher education institutions were forced to close down their campuses in a bid to reduce infections. Universities explored online teaching as an alternative approach to continue…

Getting the party started: re-instituting political parties in Somalia

Getting the party started: re-instituting political parties in Somalia

One person one vote elections are scheduled to be held in Somalia in late 2020 and early 2021. The electoral bill, despite being in a parliamentary review process, stipulates that the electoral model will be proportional representation, closed list, in a single constituency where registered voters will…

Review of Somalia’s draft national election bill

Review of Somalia’s draft national election bill

The National Electoral Bill is currently under parliamentary review. Once approved, the law will be the foundation for one-person-one-vote (OPOV) national elections scheduled to take place in Somalia in late 2020 and early 2021. The bill consists of 7 chapters and 61 articles and discusses issues of electoral design, management processes, voter registration, candidate eligibility, regulations for election campaigning, voting processes and vote counting, among others. This governance brief critically reviews technical issues of election design contained in the bill, including…