1969 Somali parliamentary election in the context of Supreme Revolutionary Council (Somalia)

⭐ Core Definition: 1969 Somali parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Somalia on 26 March 1969. A total of 64 parties ran in the election, many of which had been formed shortly beforehand. The result was a victory for the Somali Youth League (SYL), which won 73 of the 123 seats. In total, 27 parties won seats, but immediately after the elections, most of the MPs for the smaller parties joined the Somali Youth League. The SYL held 109 seats by the end of May, in addition to being in a coalition with the Somali National Congress. This gave the SYL control of 120 of the 123 seats.

This was to be the last election in Somalia prior to a coup d'état on 21 October, when officers of the far-left Supreme Revolutionary Council led by Siad Barre transformed Somalia into a single-party Marxist-Leninist state that would last until the fall of the regime in 1991.

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1969 Somali parliamentary election in the context of 1969 Somali coup d'état

The 1969 Somali coup d'état was a bloodless military takeover of the Somali Republic on 21 October 1969, led by Somali National Army officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council under General Siad Barre. After the assassination of President Abdirashid Shermarke in Las Anod, the Somali National Army under Barre's command stormed Mogadishu, seized key government buildings, and demanded the resignation of the country's leaders. The coup deposed acting President Sheikh Mukhtar Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammad Egal, ushering in a 21-year military rule under Barre and the establishment of an authoritarian government that lasted until 1991.

The coup arose from the political tensions and highly contested parliamentary elections of March 1969. It was the first successful coup, following a failed attempt in 1961. With the establishment of Supreme Revolutionary Council rule, the Somali Republic was replaced by the socialist Somali Democratic Republic, which governed until its collapse in 1991.

View the full Wikipedia page for 1969 Somali coup d'état

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