# Puntland says Somalia’s federal mandate has expired
Puntland has declared that Somalia’s federal executive and legislative mandates have ended under the provisional constitution, escalating a legitimacy dispute that could deepen the country’s political crisis. In a statement reported by Horseed Media on 2026-05-21, the regional administration said the mandate of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had expired and that the federal parliament’s authority had also lapsed.
The declaration is politically significant because Puntland is not merely voicing dissatisfaction; it is arguing that Mogadishu no longer has constitutional standing in its current form. The regional government said federal institutions had entered a transitional period and called for limited cooperation with central authorities until new institutions are formed through an agreed electoral process.
According to the report, the Puntland cabinet meeting was chaired by President Said Abdullahi Deni and focused on what officials described as a deteriorating political and security situation. Puntland cited specific provisions of Somalia’s interim constitution to support its view that the president’s mandate ended on May 15, 2026, and that the mandates of both houses of parliament expired on April 14, 2026.
Puntland also aligned itself with a declaration from the Somali Future Council in Mogadishu that had taken a similar position on the expiry of federal mandates. That matters because the dispute is no longer isolated to a single region. It now touches a wider cluster of opposition voices arguing that Somalia’s political calendar and constitutional arrangements have been overtaken by events.
The administration accused the federal government of interfering in state-level elections and undermining the authority of federal member states. It also said the body overseeing the federal electoral process lacks constitutional authority under the 2012 provisional agreement. In practical terms, that means Puntland is questioning not just the timing of federal mandates, but the legitimacy of the machinery used to sustain them.
The report said Puntland called on international organizations and donor countries to work directly with its administration during the transitional period. That is a major step because it suggests the region wants outside actors to treat it as a direct interlocutor rather than simply as a constituent unit of the federal system.
At the same time, the declaration does not amount to a formal breakaway. Puntland said it still supports a federal system, though one with much stronger regional autonomy. The language is confrontational but not secessionist.
The report said Mogadishu had not yet publicly responded. That silence matters because the dispute is unfolding at a moment when Somalia’s politics remain fragile, with elections, constitutional authority and state-federal relations all under strain. Whether the federal government pushes back or seeks compromise will shape the next phase of the crisis.
Source note
Horseed Media, Somalia: Puntland Declares Direct Engagement With International Community Amid Somalia Legitimacy Dispute | Horseed Media, https://horseedmedia.net/somalia-puntland-declares-direct-engagement-with-international-community-amid-somalia-legitimacy-dispute/421947/; cited claim basis: 12797.
