Somali Prime Minister Roble appoints electoral advisers weeks after deal
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has appointed a seven-member advisory team to review the handling of the upcoming elections, which are expected to take place within the next two months in accordance with an agreement signed a fortnight ago.
Somali political leaders have agreed on the basis for holding the elections, ending weeks of uncertainty and blame games between some political actors. The agreement was signed in the presence of representatives of the international community and opposition leaders.
To organize the elections on time, Roble appointed seven people who will be domiciled in his office with the sole responsibility of ensuring that proper preparations are made ahead of the indirect elections, which would pave the way for a change of leadership in the country.
Dubbed the Election Technical Support Team, the seven would be special advisers in different areas and would be responsible for giving timely advice to the prime minister in the interests of transparency. It is not clear whether those leaning towards the opposition were taken into account.
“Having taken into account the need for a qualified and experienced technical support team for the elections of the Office of the Prime Minister who can coordinate and facilitate the smooth implementation of the indirect national elections of 2021 which the Prime Minister is mandated to organize , I have appointed a number of people to help, “he said in a dispatch.
The appointees including Abdulkadir Elmi, the chief coordinator, Omar Mohamed Abdulle, who will serve as the main electoral and legal adviser, Fadumo Abdi Ali, who will lead the funds and operations at the office of the prime minister.
The others are Mohamed Rooble, capacity building and training advisor, Laila Mohamed, gender and inclusion advisor, Liban Rabila, security advisor, and Abdullahi Hashi, engagement and civil society advisor. They will start the tasks immediately.
It comes amid complaints from Wadajir party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame that the prime minister’s office has yet to get rid of those suspected of belonging to the National Intelligence Security Agency. [NISA] agents within the electoral team.
According to Roble’s office, 34 of the 67 people submitted by the opposition will be replaced, but Warsame insists the exercise was done in an opaque fashion. Now he wants the office to provide the reasons why the remaining 33 people were spared.
Mohamed Hussein Roble was put in charge of overseeing the elections after the opposition accused Farmajo of lack of sincerity. The president’s term expired on February 8, but he continued to serve as no election has yet taken place in the country.
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