Somali opposition team calls for emergency meeting ahead of elections
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Union of Presidential Candidates [UPC] called for a special meeting on the upcoming elections, raising concerns about the exercise, just days before the country heads to the much-anticipated election.
The electoral team issued a statement on the elections, giving a final timetable that will be respected for a peaceful conclusion of the exercise. The senatorial elections will begin on July 25 before the elections of the deputies which will end on October 7.
In a statement released on Sunday, the union which includes 15 candidates said it was calling a meeting to discuss, among other things, the current political situation in Somalia ahead of the much-awaited elections in the country.
The union expressed concern that many questions surrounding the elections remain unresolved and could further delay the elections. According to the team, the country has not done enough to guarantee free and fair elections in the coming weeks.
The statement throws the organizers even further into limbo as the entire team questioned some of the decisions made by the election team. Previously, they accused the government of forcing NISA agents into the presidential election squad.
Among the top candidates of the presidential union team are former Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and party leader Wadajir Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.
Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who has been tasked with organizing elections in Somalia, met with various stakeholders as part of a strategy to ensure that both sides are happy with the outcome. On Sunday, he met European envoy Nicolas Berlanga and Norwegian ambassador Heidi Johansen.
“Prime Minister Mohamed Roble held separate meetings on Sunday with EU Ambassador to Somalia Berlanga and Norwegian Special Envoy Heidi Johansen and discussed with the country the development of elections and the strengthening of cooperation,” he said. declared his team.
Outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is keen to defend his seat but critics accuse him of manipulating state agencies in his favor. The opposition notably accused the boss of the NISA, Fahad Yasin, of having used his team to manipulate the results of the poll in favor of the president.
AXADLETM
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