Somali president seeks international backing amid election dispute
MOGADISHU — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held talks with international partners on Tuesday as Somalia’s political leaders remained divided over the country’s electoral process.
The discussions followed a meeting the international representatives held with opposition leaders a day earlier, focused on easing the election impasse and building political consensus.
Officials familiar with the talks said Mohamud outlined the federal government’s electoral plans to the diplomats. The agenda is centred on introducing nationwide direct elections based on a one-person, one-vote system.
The government maintains that future members of parliament should be chosen through universal suffrage, replacing Somalia’s existing indirect system for selecting the legislature.
Opposition leaders, however, have urged wider agreement on the electoral framework, warning that unresolved differences could intensify the country’s political crisis.
The latest diplomatic meetings reflect increasing international efforts to bring Somalia’s political stakeholders into dialogue as they work to agree on a roadmap for the next elections.
AXADLETM
