Somalia faces pressure to ‘accelerate’ election process

International partners, however, remain deeply concerned about the extremely delayed election timeline and strongly urge the Somali leadership, at all levels of government, to swiftly re-commence and complete the electoral process for the House of the People seats.

News Keydmedia Online
16 November 2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia’s international partners are putting mounting pressure on the leaders to speed up the electoral process in the Horn of Africa country after frequent delays. 

"The International partners remain deeply concerned about the extremely delayed election timeline and strongly urge the Somali leadership, at all levels of government, to swiftly re-commence and complete the electoral process for the House of the People seats," said the international community. 

They noted that sufficient funds are already available, including from international partners, to complete a significant portion of the House of the People elections in Somalia.

"We continue to call for timely, inclusive, and credible elections that maintain the integrity of the electoral process," reads the statement in part.

The international community urged Somali leaders and the State Election Implementation Teams, in line with the 17 September 2020 and 27 May 2021 agreements, to ensure that a minimum 30 percent quota is reserved for women members of Parliament through a clear mechanism.

International partners reiterate their deep concern that, the longer the elections are delayed, the more attention and resources will be diverted from important national priorities, such as responding to the humanitarian consequences of drought, state-building, and ensuring security, which is critical to the overall stability of Somalia and the welfare of its people.

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