Somalia election schedule released after lengthy negotiations
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The leadership of the federal government of Somalia, federal member states and the administration of the Banadir region have agreed on the election timetable, which will be implemented as part of the resolution of the electoral crisis in the country.
Over the past year, stakeholders have wrangled over the model, timing and nature of the elections, which were first to be held from December 2020 in accordance with an agreement first reached on September 17, 2020. .
But on Tuesday, the election dates were released, ending the long wait for the next polls. The Prime Minister’s Office, which is responsible for coordinating the ballots, published the schedule at the end of the rounds.
From July 25, the country will hold elections for members of the Upper House [Senators], which are expected to run until August 10 of this year. Subsequently, the country will choose the deputies [Lower House] from August 10 to September 10 of this year.
On September 20, Members of Parliament and Senators will select the House leadership team that is essential to the conduct of House business. Currently, Mohamed Mursal is the Speaker of the Lower House while Abdi Hashi is the Speaker of the Senate, which has criticized the leadership of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
After this rigorous parliamentary leadership contest, the bicameral chamber will elect the next president of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Elections are scheduled for October 10, more than nine months after Farmajo’s term of office expires.
Farmajo’s term expired on February 8 but he attempted to cling to power, at one point, by signing a two-year term extension that was condemned by dozens of stakeholders, forcing him to stand down. withdraw immediately after being reprimanded by the international community.
The 275 deputies and 54 senators will make the important decision, but the number of senators could increase due to the pressure to allocate a certain number of seats to the Banadir region. In the lower house, stakeholders are discussing how to achieve the quota of women in parliament.
The elections for members of the upper house and lower house will see delegates participate, following the indirect model that has been agreed upon by the stakeholders. The country has not yet held direct elections since 1969, but Somaliland, a breakaway region, managed to hold elections by universal suffrage in May.
Farmajo faces opposition from, among others, former Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as well as former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Wadajir party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame is also in the running, but the team is likely to present just one candidate.
AXADLETM
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