Who runs local government in Somalia?

Somalia is a federation still being built after state collapse in 1991. Five federal member states (Puntland, Jubaland, South West, Hirshabelle, Galmudug) and the Banadir region (Mogadishu) sit under the federal government, while Somaliland in the north-west runs itself and claims independence. Most political offices have been filled through clan elders rather than direct votes, and the customary law called xeer, applied by elders, settles many local disputes alongside Islamic law and state courts. In December 2025 Mogadishu held its first one-person, one-vote local council elections in over 50 years.

Federal Republic of Somalia · Federal parliamentary republic (provisional constitution, 2012, amended 2024) · Eastern Africa

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
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.	Own constitutions, security forces and administrations; relations with the federal government are often contested.
Regions (18 pre-1991 regions as the legal basis; more in use today)	Governors appointed by state governments	Deconcentrated administration.
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	Local services, markets, local taxes, security cooperation.
Villages and urban neighbourhoods	Clan elders and neighbourhood committees	Dispute settlement, security, aid distribution.

Three questions about local power in Somalia

Are local leaders elected?

Most legislators and councils have been selected by clan elders, not elected by voters; executives are then chosen by those bodies. Direct elections have taken place in Somaliland, in some Puntland districts (2021 and 2023) and in Banadir's district councils (December 2025). Elders gain their role by lineage and consensus.

Which laws set up local government?

The federal structure is in the 2012 provisional constitution (Articles 48–50), which also mentions traditional leaders and customary law. District council formation follows state laws that differ by state. Xeer is customary and largely unwritten.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Elders answer to their clans, who can replace them. Federal and state leaders answer to parliaments chosen through elders. Courts and electoral bodies are weak in many areas; al-Shabaab still controls parts of the south and runs its own courts and taxes.

Traditional and customary authority

Xeer is unwritten Somali customary law, built on agreements between clans and lineages and applied by elders (odayaal) and titled leaders such as sultans, ugaas and garaad. It handles killings, injuries, theft, land, grazing and water disputes, usually through compensation (diya, or mag) paid by the offender's diya-paying group rather than punishment of an individual. It works alongside Sharia, applied by religious leaders and courts, and state courts. A 2023 study of 408 elders across Somalia and Somaliland found widespread support for more transparency and equal treatment between clans, but much less support for including women. Elders are not only informal: they nominated the National Constituent Assembly that adopted the 2012 provisional constitution, and they select members of state and federal parliaments under the clan-based '4.5 formula'.

Community and neighbourhood power

Neighbourhood committees, women's and youth groups, business networks (which often fund security and services), Islamic charities and diaspora associations are important. Displacement camps have their own gatekeepers who control access to aid.

Points to know

The '4.5 formula' shares seats equally among four major clan families, with half a share for other groups.
Somaliland's parliament includes an upper House of Elders (Guurti) made up of clan elders.
In Puntland, district councillors were for decades chosen by elders even though the state constitution provides for universal suffrage (SNG-WOFI).
Xeer often treats harm as an offence between groups, so a whole lineage may pay or receive compensation.

Local terms

Xeer: Somali customary law, agreed between clans and applied by elders.
Oday (plural odayaal): A clan elder.
Diya / mag: Compensation, often 'blood money', paid by one group to another.
4.5 formula: The clan-based power-sharing formula used to allocate parliamentary seats.

Sources

Somalia's Provisional Constitution of 2012, Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Country profile: Somalia, OECD–UCLG SNG-WOFI, checked 14 October 2026
Reforming Somali Xeer: Practices and Procedures (Clingendael / Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, 2023), Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law (KPSRL), checked 14 October 2026
Somalia announces July 5 Banadir district council speaker elections, Somali National News Agency (SONNA), checked 14 October 2026
Democracy Tracker: Somalia, International IDEA, checked 14 October 2026