MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali parliamentary time period expires with out transparent.A political chin is slowly building up in Somalia, a country that has been in pieces for decades now following the ongoing dismissal before the election, which could throw the country into unprecedented constitutional challenges that would further trigger chaos.
On 27 December 2020, the mandate of the current parliament expired, even before the country agreed on the date of the election, with a timeline already far behind schedule, something that now creates a gap that could slow down the ongoing reconstruction efforts in the country.
Parliament’s term of office was strictly four years, and a new National Assembly was scheduled to take over this month. This now means that the country does not have the legislative body drafting laws other than putting the government in control.
Even after the deadline, the controversial federal indirect election team called on states to start the registration process for the candidates running for Senate seats. Somalia is at a crossroads due to the recurring political disagreements.
It is not clear whether the movement will work, as the opposition and a number of federal states have promised to block the election process until some of their demands are met. Eg. Do the opposition candidates want the nomination committee dissolved, arguing that it consists of the loyal supporters of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
In addition, they need the government to withdraw troops from the Gedo region of Jubaland as part of the pre-election agreement, something that Mogadishu is not ready to do. They also want North Western of Somaliato be allowed to elect its own voting committee without coercion from Mogadishu.
But the federal government has accused stakeholders of failing to comply with the agreement reached in September after months of negotiations. It is expected that on February 8, the country would have held presidential elections according to the timeline.
AXADLETM
