By - Reporter
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MOGADISHU, October 26 2026 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has formally invited the country’s opposition groups to national talks on federal elections, to be held in Mogadishu from Nov. 14 to 18, the presidency said on Monday.
The invitation was sent to the Nabad iyo Nolol party, the Somali Future Council, the National Unity Forum and the Civil Society Umbrella, according to a statement from the presidency.
The presidency said the forum aims to bring the parties together to discuss federal elections on the basis of mutual understanding and compromise.
The talks come after the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced on Oct. 15 that elections for both houses of parliament would be held on April 15, 2027, and a presidential vote on May 15, 2027. The commission said the presidential date was based on a five-year term starting from the day the president is sworn in. The opposition has rejected the timetable.
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The statement follows a national address on Sunday in which Mohamud invited politicians to a dialogue forum and said his government was ready to sit down with anyone who held a different view. The presidency said at the time that formal invitations would follow through official channels.
In the same address, Mohamud defended the one-person, one-vote elections held in South West, Galmudug and Hirshabelle states and the Banadir region.
Somalia’s government and opposition are divided over elections and constitutional changes.
The opposition groups have not presented a common front in talks with the government. In July, the Somali Future Council, Nabad iyo Nolol and the National Unity Forum each held separate meetings with the government and put forward their own proposals.