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President of Somalia

head of state of Somalia

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ19364214 ↗
Source-derived summary

The president of Somalia (Somali: Madaxaweynaha Soomaaliya) is the head of state of Somalia. The president is also commander-in-chief of the Somali Armed Forces. The president represents the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the unity of the Somali nation, as well as ensuring the implementation of the Constitution of Somalia and the organised and harmonious functioning of the organs of state. Currently, the president of Somalia is indirectly elected, chosen by the Federal Parliament of Somalia.

The office of the President of Somalia was established with the proclamation of the Republic of Somalia on 1 July 1960. The first president was Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, and the office is currently claimed by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud despite the assertions of the opposition that his term has expired.

History

The first president of Somalia was Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, one of the leaders of the Somali Youth League (SYL), who took office on 1 July 1960, the day on which Somalia was declared a republic. Since then the office has been held by eight further people: Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, Mohamed Siad Barre, Ali Mahdi, Abdiqasim Salad, Abdullahi Yusuf, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. In addition, Sheikh Mukhtar acted as president between Shemarke's assassination and the coup d'état, and Aden Madoobe acted as president after Yusuf's resignation in 2008.

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed took office on 31 January 2009, after being elected by the presidential election held in January 2009.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “President of Somalia” as head of state of Somalia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around President, Somalia and head.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1960, 2008, 2009—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1960-07-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with President, Somalia and head providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “President of Somalia”, the useful work is to connect “head of state of Somalia” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q19364214. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1960, 2008 and 2009.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “President of Somalia”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow President of Somalia primary sources, President of Somalia archive and President research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “President of Somalia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.