Ex-Somali Leader Voices Concerns on Government’s Approach to Constitution, Elections, and Security
Sure, let’s breathe some life into this story.
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Mogadishu (AX) – In a fiery broadside against the Somali federal government’s current policies, the former President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, didn’t mince words. Emerging from political hibernation, Ahmed, who holds the reins of the Himilo Qaran Party, orchestrated a press conference in Mogadishu on Tuesday that left no stone unturned in its critique. He cut straight to the chase, lambasting the government for its handling of politics, security, constitutional tweaks, and those all-important elections that have historically been a thorny issue in the country.
Ahmed pulled no punches as he flung accusations of creating divisions—a rather messy paint splatter on the democratic canvas Somalia is trying to craft. His point of contention? Recent amendments to four chapters of a document as sacred as a Gambian pastor’s Sunday suit—the Constitution. To Ahmed, these changes have opened up rifts between the federal government and the member states, fractures that, he warns, might require more than a metaphorical splint to heal. “Shouldn’t the Somali people have a say—a real say—in these constitutional affairs?” Ahmed emphasized, urging for united, consensus-driven reform.
And then came the knockout punch, mocking the limiting of elections to just a select few cities—Mogadishu, Baidoa, Dhusamareb, and Jowhar—as if urbanites were the only ones deemed worthy of a democratic stake. “These elections,” Ahmed warned, “bear the potential to divide our folks even further, and it may require a Herculean effort to stitch us back together. If we really want to put our electoral house in order, why not explore simple, corruption-free alternatives? Or is there something stopping us from seeing the obvious?” he mused rhetorically.
The former president then cast doubtful eyes on the electoral committee, hinting at mischief. In his view, registering students from schools and universities as district voters smacks of hanky-panky. A master of understatement, he simply said, “This country lacks a functioning parliament, government, or judiciary. Seems like we’re all in someone’s one-man band,” he remarked, leaving his audience in a whirl of speculation as to the maestro of this band.
Topping off his blistering assessment, Ahmed took a dim view of the recent rapprochement spurred by Turkey—a gentleman’s handshake between Somalia and Ethiopia. Expressing outright scorn, he called it a “deeply concerning” development.
Just a bit of context here: the whole shebang was orchestrated courtesy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who played matchmaker between two sparring nations locked in a year-long face-off. Ethiopia had nearly run afoul by attempting to ink a deal with North Western State of Somalia—a breakaway region of Somalia—promising to rent coastal land for a marine base. In return, Ethiopia dangled the carrot of potential recognition of North Western State of Somalia’s independence. A diplomatic kerfuffle if ever there was one.
Ahmed’s critique raises eyebrows, warming up the debate in the corridors of power and the streets of Mogadishu, as citizens wonder what the next season of Somali politics will bring. Will the federal government heed his warnings, or are they merely calls into the desert wind?
Only time will tell, and as always, the political waves of Somalia are as predictable as the ocean itself—ever-shifting, always intriguing.
Report By Axadle
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
