Mogadishu, Dec 24 — Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Tuesday his government has accepted opposition calls for a national dialogue on the country's 2026 elections and constitutional review, while warning against what he described as politics driven by intimidation.
Speaking at a campaign event for the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) in Mogadishu, Mohamud said the government formally welcomed dialogue -- the key outcome, he said, of a three-day opposition meeting held last week in the southern city of Kismayo.
"We took one point from the outcomes of the Kismayo conference -- to open dialogue. The door to dialogue is open, and it is open at the president's office. The government has officially responded to that request," Mohamud said.
His remarks follow a statement issued on Saturday by opposition figures grouped under the Somali Future Council, who urged the president to convene all political stakeholders by Jan. 20, 2026, to reach agreement on an inclusive electoral framework.
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The opposition warned that failure to do so would force them to pursue alternative political options to avert a constitutional vacuum and renewed instability.
Mohamud, however, said the federal government had never opposed dialogue or consensus, but firmly rejected what he called "politics based on posturing and threats."
The comments signal an effort by the government to ease mounting political tensions as Somalia approaches the sensitive 2026 electoral process and the completion of a long-delayed constitutional review.
