Somalia's Elections Return Behind Blast Walls After Two-Year Constitutional Crisis

Somalia held delayed elections in May 2022 after a turbulent two-year period. The vote took place behind blast walls with heightened security, establishing the current administration. The delay stemmed from April 2021 violence triggered by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's controversial mandate extension, which fractured the military and drew international condemnation. The eventual electoral process marked institutional recovery, though structural weaknesses in Somalia's democratic framework persist.