Somalia is entering a transformative era with the adoption of universal suffrage set for 2024 – its first nationwide direct elections since 1969. Abshir Aden Ferro, president of the Alliance for the Future party, hails this reform as a historic breakthrough in a long battle against a corrupt and clan-based electoral system.

For decades, Somalia’s leadership was determined through opaque, indirect selections dominated by oligarchic interests and tribal divisions. Positions of power were traded, not earned, while ordinary citizens were stripped of a democratic voice. Ferro, an early and outspoken opponent of this system, refused to endorse the 2020 election agreement and faced criticism, isolation, and threats for his stance.

Now, the country stands on the brink of democratic renewal. Ferro outlines three urgent priorities: educating voters to resist corruption, launching inclusive institutional reforms, and empowering Somalia’s long-neglected youth. These steps, he believes, will give Somalia the tools to break free from extremism, poverty, and disillusionment.

May 26, 2023, marks not only a legislative victory but the fulfillment of a promise Ferro made in his book My Life for Somalia – a promise of hope, renewal, and a future where all Somali voices count.