MOGADISHU, Somalia – The recently signed pre-electoral pact could still be in danger given the complaints made by the leader of the Wadajir party, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, who is one of the main stakeholders in the upcoming elections, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.
A few weeks ago, various political actors signed a pact in Somalia that would see the country hold elections after months of stalemate that saw both sides of the divide mutually accuse each other of delays. Farmajo did not organize an election on time.
But even after signing the deal, Warsame seems dissatisfied with the process of removing suspicious members of the electoral commission whom the opposition had waved a red flag, arguing that the exercise lacks the transparency it deserves.
Already, a ministerial-level committee chosen by Roble has identified 34 of the 67 people accused by the opposition of being NISA agents, civil servants and / or state agents. All 34 people must be sacked, but the Leader of the Opposition doubts the process.
The veteran chief says the name verification process is still shrouded in mystery, adding that those who submitted the names have not been consulted on the omission of other suspicious characters that the PM’s office wishes to clear for them. surveys.
Lack of sincerity from the federal government
Opposition leader maintains that the federal government is still not sincere about the reconciliation process, adding that there are plans to use NISA agents to rig polls in favor of pro-government politicians at the expense of leaders of the opposition.
According to him, the federal government persistently denied the presence of officials, NISA agents and Farmajo sycophants on the electoral team, despite complaints from various stakeholders, including the opposition.
“They recognize the existence of 34 members. We can say that 20% of their plan for the electoral commissions has been exposed,” added party leader Wadajir, who disagrees with the current administration.
Ironically, only Abdirahman Abdishakur raised the complaints of all opposition leaders who initially welcomed the electoral agreement signed in May by dozens of government critics. Former Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have yet to raise any issues.
But Warsame maintains that the opposition could be on the losing side if it does not call for transparency in the reconstitution of the electoral committee which it says will play a major role in rigging the next election.
“They plan to replace the 34 members with others that are not that different, given that there has not been an agreed process for verifying deleted members or those who will replace them. let’s not fix the process today, we will regret it tomorrow, “he said.
“Those who celebrate today will complain tomorrow. We must not fall into lip service to illusions and promises. We insist on finding an agreed, fair, free and transparent process to implement the electoral agreement. ”
The federal government has yet to respond to explosive complaints from the veteran leader, but has updated the exercise’s progress. The country is expected to stand for election within the next two months according to the agreement that was signed last month.
AXADLETM
