Somalia's Supreme Court rejects President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term extension

Somalia’s Supreme Court ruled that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s one-year term extension was unlawful, saying constitutional changes approved by parliament could not apply retrospectively to his current mandate, which expired in May. The court also declared the dismissal of Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed null and void, and ordered political leaders to agree on an electoral plan within 30 days and hold elections within 90 days. The ruling followed Mohamud’s dismissal of Ahmed and appointment of Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, while former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire accused the president of deploying security forces to the court. Mohamud says the reforms are needed to move to direct democratic elections; opposition groups accuse him of seeking to prolong his rule.