Government and power in Somalia

Who leads Somalia, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Federal parliamentary republic (provisional constitution, 2012, amended 2024).

Who leads Somalia?

• Head of state: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (President of the Federal Republic of Somalia)
• Head of government: Hamza Abdi Barre (Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia)
• Foreign minister: Abdisalan Abdi Ali (Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Somalia

Government

• Federal Government of Somalia
  Federal government announcements and links to ministries and agencies.
• Office of the Prime Minister
  Cabinet decisions, Prime Minister's statements and government news.

Parliament

• House of the People
  Bills, session news and members of the lower house of the Federal Parliament.
• Upper House
  Session news, committee work and members of the upper house.

Elections

• National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
  Voter registration updates, electoral regulations and election timelines.

Public audit

• Office of the Auditor General
  Audit reports on federal government accounts and public entities.

Public contracts

• Ministry of Finance (Department of Public Procurement)
  Federal budget documents, fiscal reports and public procurement notices, including tender awards and contractor registration.

Government below the national level

• Federal member states (5) plus Banadir Regional Administration: State parliaments whose members are selected by clan elders; state presidents elected by those parliaments. The mayor of Mogadishu, who also governs Banadir, is appointed by the federal government.
• Regions (18 pre-1991 regions as the legal basis; more in use today): Governors appointed by state governments
• Districts (about 193, many without councils): District councils usually formed through clan elders' selection; directly elected in Banadir (December 2025), parts of Puntland and in Somaliland
• Villages and urban neighbourhoods: Clan elders and neighbourhood committees

How local power works in Somalia

Places in Somalia

• Official statistics for Somalia

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.