OPINION: The Rumble in Mogadishu – Election Shit Show
After five meetings between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal Member States (FMS) and more than a dozen meetings between the head of state, Somalia’s leaders have failed to end a stalemate over the electoral process. The country stands still. Neither side jumps out, and all sides blame each other for the dead end and risk the rise of political unrest. Meanwhile, the UN, the United States and other international partners are running like a chicken with their heads cut off, trying to make sense of all this. It can officially be called a “shit show” and the most affected are the ordinary citizens who catch drought hunger, the resurgence of Covid-19, Al-Shabaab and a swarming locust that eats their crops. The country is on the brink and all eyes are on those leaders who so far cannot even agree on a friendly dinner, let alone the election process. Everyone behaves like a mocked wife, and personal vendetta has overshadowed the important work at hand. The actors or spoilers are too many to mention, but we can look at a few of the key players and antagonists. Those holding back from Somalia are making progress.
The Council of Presidential Candidates, a coalition of former Somali leaders such as Hassan Ali Khaire, former Prime Minister of Somalia, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and former Minister of Planning and International Relations Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame criticize current President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo if mandate ended on February 8, 2021 for non-compliance with the election on time and not creating a level playing field. That is as far as their complaints go. These candidates have not made or come up with any tangible solutions other than to call for a protest, threats posted on their social media handles and an occasional newsletter aimed at pampering the international community. Their biggest playing card is to adapt to the two disgruntled heads of state from Northeastern State and Jubaland and the Supreme Court speeches that want to control the symbolic Somali parliamentarians by forming a lame duck coalition called the “Somali National Salvation Forum”. The coalition charges more of the same accusations to the federal government. Nothing new here and nothing to see. Ordinary Somalis are not impressed that they have been Somali leaders in the past, and their shouts have so far fallen on deaf ears. We do not see or hear political conversations, but rather how they do not want Mr. Farmajo must return.
Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is the current president of Somalia, but his term of office ended on February 8, 2021. So the question in everyone’s mind is, why is he still leading the country? Why does he call the shots? Why has the country not gone to the polls? There is a simple explanation for this, he has an army and a battle of “yes” men at his disposal. Some of these “yes” men are Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen”, President of the Southwest, Ahmed Abdi Karie (Qoorqoor) President of Galmudug, and Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Guudlaawe) President of Hirshabelle, three states within Somalia’s FMS. These are men that Farmajo supported in their positions and it is now a payback period. These men owe Farmajo a favor, and he earns. They accept pretty much everything he says about the election. They are his mouthpiece and he uses them wisely. They agree with what Farmajo wants, and that is to continue to rule the country, even if it means military. they are in cahoots with his one-sided decision-making style. We as ordinary Somalis have not seen or heard these men work to resolve the stalemate, other than to host fruitless meetings for the purpose of appeasing their master. They are simply props for the process, and their biggest role is to inform Farmajo about all things election talks.
Then there are the two aces – the presidents of Jubaland and Northeastern State (A. Madobe & Deni) – it is no surprise that they are in conflict with pretty much everyone involved in the election process, of course, except for the “Council of Presidential Candidates”. They are fiercely against Farmajo, not because he is necessarily bad for the country, no, they are not doing any services for the country, they simply have personal resentment. Farmajo was against these two as they drove for their states. It’s personal with these guys and it’s their turn to be torn in Farmajo’s side as he was when they fought for the top spot in Jubaland and Northeastern State. Their main duty is to ensure that Farmajo is not re-elected. They are not doing this to save Somalis from Farmajo’s autocratic rule, but rather to get revenge. Whatever is required for Farmajo not to return is their motto.
Then there is the Somali parliament, which is largely divided in the electoral process and the candidates. Too many revealing ideas involved parliament and its work. Like Farmajo ended their mandate more than three months ago, yet they are holding sessions. These sessions are mostly disguised to confuse the public and create chaos. According to ordinary Somalis, the parliament has a main agenda and that is to get a period extension for them and Farmajo. Parliament’s speaker is a close ally of Farmajo and has been known to do the dirty work for him. A good example of this is the false motion filed against former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, who ended his prime ministerial job. It is not an idea that Somalis do not trust this parliament. For the past four years, Parliament has done no meaningful work and has been a political rally for Farmajo. The majority of parliamentarians are in favor of extending the term, and this may tip the scale in favor of Farmajo. In recent days, Parliament has begun hosting sessions to address, among other things, the long-awaited talks on Covid-19. Most political analysts, however, believe that this is only a disguise for a more sinister plan as a surprise expansion. These recent sessions attracted so much attention that few MPs who are against Farmajo and time extension have been banned from Parliament after they caused a resurrection and stopped a session. What is clear is that the Somali parliament has been hijacked by parliamentarians who are only interested in their gains and not the country’s.
Somalia is heading for unknown territory, and if it continues on this path, it is likely to fall off the ledge. The country is experiencing a power struggle, a resurgence of clannism and autocratic rule. The current leaders must find a middle ground and put their differences aside. Somalis do not want to return to the lawlessness of the past. There is so much at stake to get it right.
Ahmeddek Ayah Email: dekmohamede@gmail.com
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