Somalia misses deadline to complete elections

The country has struggled to elect new leaders because of wrangles over the composition of electoral boards and political mistrust between President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

News Keydmedia Online
15 March 2022

The MPs are due to choose a replacement for President Muhammad Abdullahi "Farmajo"

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia is missing a deadline to conclude long-delayed parliamentary elections as political disagreements continue in the country.

The federal government had set a deadline of March 15 to complete the polls, but more than 50 seats in the legislature are yet to be filled. This could in turn delay further the election of a new president who is normally selected indirectly by MPs.

Somalia has already missed several deadlines to conclude voting for the lower house of parliament since February last year.

About 220 of the seats in the 275-member chamber have been filled so far. The delays in electing a new parliament and president have thrown the country into a political crisis.

The country has struggled to elect new leaders because of wrangles over the composition of electoral boards and political mistrust between President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

President Farmajo, as he’s popularly known, was elected in 2017 but has struggled to fulfill key promises including fighting al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, which controls many parts of Somalia. He had also pledged to fight corruption, but his critics say much of that has not been achieved.