Abdi Hashi Abdullahi

Abdi Hashi Abdullahi is a Somali politician known for being the first speaker of the Upper House (Senate) of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, and was re-elected to the same position in 2022. The Upper House is the second chamber of the bicameral parliament and comprises 54 members representing the federal member states.

According to Wikidata and information from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), he was born on 1 December 1946. Before assuming the position of speaker, he held ministerial posts during the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) period. His Upper House seat is attributed to the north-western regions (Somaliland) within the federal parliamentary allocation.

Background and earlier positions

General biographical records indicate he was born in Baabile (a location in present-day Ethiopia) in 1946. The English Wikipedia states he served as Minister of Water Resources and Culture from 2004 to 2006, during the presidency of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and the premiership of Ali Mohamed Geedi, and also held the position of Minister of Health.

First speaker of the Upper House (2017–2021)

In January 2017, members of the newly constituted Upper House elected Abdi Hashi Abdullahi as speaker in Mogadishu. A statement from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) stated he won 43 votes out of 52 votes counted in the first round, defeating a candidate named Mustaf Mohamed Godah. Two deputies were elected on the same day. This election was the final procedural step before the 2017 presidential election.

The 2020–2021 election dispute

During the election dispute, Abdi Hashi took positions divergent from the federal government. Regional media reported that in November 2020 he rejected the composition of an election committee appointed by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, accusing the government of removing members he had nominated, particularly those related to the management of regional constituencies' parliamentary seats in the north. Media sources also noted he opposed the extension of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo's term during the 2021 crisis.

His first term ended on 10 August 2021, according to official records, following the conclusion of the previous parliament's session. Between August 2021 and April 2022, the position of acting speaker was held by Mohamed Ali Yusuf (Gaagaab), who died in December 2024.

Return to office (2022)

On 26 April 2022, the Upper House re-elected Abdi Hashi Abdullahi. According to reports from the state television SNTV, he received 28 votes out of 54 members, with his closest rival receiving 24 votes. This election was part of the procedural steps concluding the election process that had experienced significant delays, culminating in the presidential election in May 2022. The elected deputies included Ali Shacbaan Ibrahim and Abdullahi Ali Hirsi (Tima-Cadde).