Somalisation of the Constitution: A Concept for a combined Federalism Dialogue and Constitutional Review in Somalia
Project Summary
The aim of the project "Somalisation of the Constitution: A Concept for a combined Federalism Dialogue and Constitutional Review in Somalia" is to draft a Constitution that will be accepted by large parts of the Somali population including political actors, and civil society and to agree on a join path with all actors which will lead to this draft of the Constitution entering into force by the end of the legislative period in 2026.
This includes an agreement on the structure of federalism as well as safeguarding laws, such as the revision of the electoral law and the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court. For a successful review, it is crucial to not only involve all political actors, but many social groups, representatives of clans, women's organisations, Diasporas, etc. To realise this hitherto new and unique approach in Somalia, we will initiate a Constitutional Dialogue, alongside the technical and scientific legal work, to nourish the societal discussion that shall guide and coin the frameworks and structures in the Constitution.
The inclusion of the Somali society in this process is the core of our approach and makes the difference to previous attempts. Within the technical legal work, the process aims to identify existing gaps in the provisional Constitution and to develop suitable solutions with the support of a global network of constitutional lawyers.