Somali politicians signed a historic agreement on elections on Saturday.
The leaders signed the agreement at the end of the National Consultative Council (NCC) on Saturday.
They issued a communique on Sunday detailing the agreement.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud chaired the four-day NCC in Mogadishu.
They agreed to embrace direct elections from next year while unifying election schedules.
Previously, Somalia held parliamentary polls separately from presidential elections.
The agreement came immediately after Puntland held one-man-one-vote polls for its local government seats.
Further, elections will take place once every five years.