Farmajo suffers blow in hope for re-election after losing Gedo MPs

The country has picked 246 parliament members out of the 275 Lower House seats since Nov 2021. There are 29 seats still remain unfilled in HirShabelle and Jubaland.

News Keydmedia Online
22 March 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The outgoing Somali president has suffered a major blow as he lost to Ahmed Madobe, Jubaland leader over the control of the long-delayed Gedo region’s election.

Madobe won his plan to move the election of 16 Lower House seats in Farmajo’s hometown of Garbaharey to El-Wak near the Kenyan border under his Jubaland administration.

Last week, Jubaland’s electoral body [SEIT] based in Kismayo city has announced that the election for the disputed parliamentary seats will be held within two weeks as the rift remained unfixed. 

Jubaland ministers paid a visit to El-Wak town recently to witness the construction work of a tent in the facility of the city’s airstrip protected by KDF, where is planned to hold the vote.

The relocation which adds fuel to the fire came after Gedo authorities barred a 7-member team that was named by PM Roble from arriving in Garbaharey city to assess the situation on the ground.

The country has picked 246 parliament members, including 51 women out of the 275 Lower House seats since Nov 2021. There are 29 seats still remain unfilled in HirShabelle and Jubaland.

HirShabelle faces a crisis in the election of 13 seats in the Beledweyne constituency while Jubaland now moving the polling station of the 16 seats to El-Wak town within Gedo province. 

Gedo people accused PM Roble of siding with Madobe who they say wants to hijack the election and produce favorite MPs just like those elected in Kismayo city, 500km south of Mogadishu.

Since capturing Kismayo in 2012 from Al-Shabaab, Madobe, a key Kenyan ally has not set a foot in Garbaharey city due to a lack of support from the locals who don't recognize him as president.

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