It was agreed one-third of new Somali MPs would be women, but elders say this is a step too far. The deadline set by the international community for Somalia's transitional government is Monday.
Disagreements about who should be among the 275 members of the next parliament, however, are threatening to delay the political process and destabilise the country.
One of the most controversial issues is over women and their role in parliament.
It was agreed that one-third of Somali MPs will be women, but elders say this is a step too far. Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri reports from Mogadishu.
