Prime Minister Roble summons state leaders ahead of Somalia election
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has called all state leaders for a meeting scheduled for June 27, as the country continues to prepare for elections, which are expected to take place next month in all states.
Elections in Somalia were delayed after the government failed to hold universal suffrage elections in addition to failing to implement the September 17 pre-election agreement, which opted for indirect ballots throughout the country. The crisis prompted leaders to hold an emergency conference.
And the leaders agreed to hold an election within two months after agreeing on various controversial issues. Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble was tasked with organizing elections after several opposition leaders expressed their lack of confidence in President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
On Tuesday, the prime minister called on heads of state to meet in Mogadishu to discuss the progress of preparations for the elections. Sources say a clear timeline for an election will be released at the end of the meeting which will be chaired by Roble.
“Prime Minister Mohamed Roble has invited the leaders of the federal member states to meet in Mogadishu on Saturday to discuss and review the ongoing electoral process on the basis of the May 27 agreement,” state media reported.
Already, the prime minister’s office has withdrawn 34 people who had been incorporated into the electoral team, after the opposition raised complaints about them. Among other things, the opposition accused some of them of being civil servants, members of the spy agency NISA and sycophants of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
Despite the withdrawal of the 34, the opposition still wants 33 more withdrawn for similar allegations. Initially, the team had submitted 67 names for review, arguing that their presence would jeopardize the election outcome.
But the prime minister’s office appears to have completed the process of setting up the committees that invited them to pre-election training. The teams will start meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday [tomorrow] for a series of preparations.
The Somali Prime Minister’s Office Election Support Technical Team announced on Monday that all members of the Independent Election Commissions will arrive in Mogadishu no later than Thursday, June 24 for a week-long implementation training elections ”, Mohamed Moalimuu, declared the spokesman of the Prime Minister.
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