Leaders in Somalia have agreed to extend parliamentary elections until March 15, once more postponing a long-delayed presidential vote.
The government had set a deadline for the parliamentary ballot to be completed by Friday. Lawmakers failed to meet the deadline owing to a lack of funding and insecurity, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
Parliamentary elections began in November to elect lawmakers who will then choose a new president. So far, of only about two-thirds of the 275 seats in the nation’s bicameral parliament, 175 have been filled.
Somalia is struggling to rebuild its economy after more than two decades of civil war. It failed to hold an election in February 2021, and lawmakers instead extended President Mohamed Abdullahi’s mandate.
The U.S. has threatened Somalia with sanctions if it fails to meet a recently agreed timetable for holding elections.