France, Oct. 16 -- The election commission said on Thursday that parliamentary polls would be held on 15 April, followed by a presidential vote scheduled for 15 May.

In a statement, it said the vote to elect a president was in accordance with a rule "which stipulates that the president's term of office is five years, beginning on the date the president is sworn into office".

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's second term, which began in 2022, ended in May this year, but his government declared a "transition period" through a constitutional amendment in May, despite an agreement with the opposition to hold elections.

Opposition parties boycotted that vote to amend the constitution and have rejected the changes since.

Mohamud has been tr...