Somali leaders under rising Int’l pressure, including US sanctions

When the election is completed, the 54-member Senate and the 275 Lower House members will hold a joint session in Mogadishu to elect a new president maybe later in 2022, per the KON source.

News Keydmedia Online
19 March 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia - On Friday, March 18, the international partners of Somalia issued a joint statement, calling on the country's political leaders to find a quick and effective way to finalize the electoral process of the remaining Lower House seats after Puntland, HirShabelle, and Jubaland failed to meet the March 15 deadline.

We strongly urge all Somali stakeholders to resolve any obstacles to completion of the process in the remaining voting sites through dialogue and on a consensus basis, so as to rapidly and credibly conclude the elections,' the statement reads in part.

So far since last year, 80% of the 275-seat House of the People was completed as of March 15 deadline while the 20% remained unpicked due to disputes among the clans and political leaders.

International partners urged Somali leaders to announce preparations for a fair and impartial process to elect the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament and the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The call comes after the Federal-level electoral committee [FEIT] set April 14 for the swearing-in of the new lawmakers, a move that was rejected by Galmudug and Southwest States.

Jubaland and the Hirshabelle States are to elect the remaining 33 seats as the deadlock in Beledweyne and Garbaharey become a stumbling block. There is pressure from the US which imposes two times visa restrictions on the political leaders of the country.

When the election is completed, the 54-member Senate and the 275 Lower House members will hold a joint session in Mogadishu to elect a new president maybe later in 2022, per the KON source.

The long-chaotic Horn of Africa country plunged into a political crisis and faces uncertainty about its future after the outgoing president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo staged failed coup attempts twice last year.

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