Instability here permeates unnoticeably across the borders
so nobody is really safe until everybody is safe.
Somalia has a population of 15 million.
Yet only 101 people are allowed to vote.
These 101 people are clan elders who represent five major Somali clans
that share governance powers within Somali society.
In Somalia people don't elect their own president and their representatives in the parliament.
Instead we use a system called a clan system
and it's basically that each clan has elders and clan elders vote for their representatives in the parliament.
Then the parliament elects the president.
In February 2021 Somalia was set to hold its first democratic election in 50 years
but the clan leaders couldn't agree on how the election would be held,
threatening to reignite Somalia's past years of turbulence.
So what is behind this political impasse and what has been the impact of it?
A lot of it comes down to the clan system.
They are traditional leaders.
There is no specific criteria when they are doing this,
they just choose who they think will, you know, represent them well in the parliament.
For young people and women, the reason why it's very difficult for them to get a seat in the parliament
is because the elders won't vote for them.
As the election further delayed, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo extended his term by two more years.
Politicians opposed to this move mobilised militia and soldiers allied to them in protest against the decision,
resulting in deadly clashes with government forces in the capital Mogadishu.
This retreat by politicians to their clan strongholds worsened divisions and mistrust.
A way forward in the election became difficult.
People are saying that they want to elect their own representatives
and also they want to elect their own president
but it seems that it's very difficult in Somalia because of the security issue.
Somalia's political crisis began to worry its neighbours and international partners
such as the African Union, the European Union and the US,
who urge politicians to come to an agreement or face sanctions.
The violent fallout from the election talks threatened the peace and stability of the region.
Somalia's stability is critical for the region.
Its neighbours have borne the brunt of years of civil and militant conflict.
Decades of civil war have led to millions of Somalis moving to refugee camps across the region
and making up the global diaspora.
In 2021 there are just under 650 000 refugees in neighbouring countries.
One group that has capitalised of this instability is Al-Shabab.
Although Al-Shabab was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011,
it holds vast parts of central and southern Somalia.
It has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya.
Al-Shabab capitalises on instability, that's where they are at their best.
There are Somali occupied regions in Ethiopia
and so instability here permeates unnoticeably across the borders,
so nobody is really safe until everybody is safe.
Al-Shabab collects ransom or taxes from almost every business in the capital city of Mogadishu,
which is the headquarters of the African Union force
supported by the United States and the European Union and the Brits.
If they have not been able to clean up Mogadishu using 25,000 African Union forces
there is no chance on Earth that they will be able to regulate the rest of the country from Al-Shabab
and therefore provide security for the wider region.
So with all these factors threatening to destabilise Somalia,
the economy has also been impacted.
Somalia's capital is a growing economic and social hub
with some of the country's largest expanding telecom companies based in Mogadishu.
Telecommunications is one of the main industries in Somalia.
Somalis in the diaspora have also played a crucial role in economic development
contributing 40% of the country's GDP in remittances.
What business and entrepreneurs need is stability and predictability.
They cannot generate and invest if there is no predictability.
Elections are one of the steps that will lead towards
the creation of an environment where business people, investors and public sector people
can begin to set programs in place that will generate jobs.
Although mistrust persists among politicians,
the upcoming election is widely expected to overcome the impasse.
Plans to hold democratic elections could improve Somalia's prospects for stability.
This could lead to inclusive peace building, stronger and more representative institutions
as a new leader is expected to provide a more stable environment
carrying the possibility of democratic elections in the future.
If Prime Minister Roble succeeds to hold an election and Somalia gets a president,
the people in this country are really very hopeful.
They will start businesses, small businesses.
Parents who, you know, send their children to abroad to study.
More people will come from
the regions to the capital city to enrol in universities and the next government
may improve the security situation in Mogadishu if they make the fight against Al-Shabab their
priority, you know, Al-Shabab may get weaker and this may improve the security not just in Somalia
but also in the whole region.
So there is optimism if elections happen that things may improve.