Former Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs Fozia Yusuf H. Aden announces that she will run for the presidency in the coming elections. Mrs. Aden served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia from 4 November 2012 to 17 January 2014. Now she is a member of Federal Parliament representing Somaliland, the self-declared region in northeaster Somalia. Mrs. Aden is running for the presidency in the coming elections scheduled on July 25, 2021 for the Senate (Upper House) and August 10, 2021 – September 10, 2021 for the Lower House (House of the People).
Women’s participation in Somali politics has traditionally been low, and a controversial topic in the country. Somali society typically ascribes to more conservative notions of a woman’s role in family and community life, rarely envisioning a position of political leadership in a male-dominated system. This has been changing, but there’s a long road ahead. It is a rare women aspirant for running to the country’s highest position.