Somalia: Hassan Sheikh Says Federal Election Talks Should Follow Regional Polls
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose term ended in May this year, is insisting that his administration remains constitutionally legitimate and that negotiations over the next federal election should wait until regional polls are held in Galmudug and Hirshabelle, sources said.
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According to the report, Mohamud has communicated the position to members of his political camp and international representatives. He said discussions on the federal vote could begin after elections take place in Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle, and Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug.
The president is also reportedly willing to revive the National Consultative Council after the regional elections. Such a process could include Puntland State and Jubaland, which previously pulled out of the forum.
Opponents have expressed concern that holding the regional elections first could further postpone Somalia’s already unsettled national electoral timetable.
Somalia has faced a protracted political dispute over its electoral process, with the federal government and opposition groups at odds over the timing, structure and inclusiveness of the next national vote.
The report said Mohamud has also been seeking to consolidate alliances with politicians who share interests in the country’s political power-sharing system.
Several days earlier, he reportedly rejected attempts to leave opposition figures out of electoral discussions, including negotiations facilitated by Western countries.
Mohamud’s position comes amid heightened tensions over Somalia’s shift toward direct elections and continuing disagreements among the federal government, federal member states and opposition groups.
Puntland State and Jubaland have been among the most vocal critics of the federal government’s electoral and constitutional reform agenda. Opposition leaders, meanwhile, have demanded an inclusive process involving all major political stakeholders.
The federal government has said its electoral reforms are designed to create a more direct voting system and reinforce democratic institutions.
Critics have questioned the timing of those reforms and warned that unresolved political disputes could delay the national electoral process.
The position attributed to Mohamud indicates that the order in which regional and federal elections are held will likely remain a major point of contention in Somalia’s political negotiations over the coming months.
AXADLETM
