Somalia: Deni warns for attempts that derail Somalia's state-building process

BAIDOA, Somalia - In what could shape the politics of the country, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has parted ways with the Union of Presidential Candidates [UPC], which has already expressed a decision to boycott ongoing parliamentary elections.

For the better part of last week, the Union of Presidential Candidates dismissed ongoing parliamentary elections as fraud, adding that it won't recognize the outcome which they dismissed as compromised.

And Deni, who has for a long time stood with the opposition, dismissed their quest to have another round of talks to solve the current political impasse in the country. The union wants elections to be nullified in favour of fresh talks.

Apparently, Deni made the remarks in Baidoa, the interim capital of Southwest, where he attended the 3rd anniversary of Lafta-Garen's election.

"People who say 'let's set up councils' are going to take us back to Arte's tent. It's a dangerous thing," noted Deni, who has traditionally supported the opposition along with his Jubaland President Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe.

The Arte conference was done in Djibouti where Somalia got its first government in 2000 after the civil war. The transitional government was replaced by the federal government of Somalia in later years and has been running the country.

Deni’s remarks affirm his breaking away from association with the Council of Presidential Candidates; a 15 member umbrella of presidential candidates who had earlier been in the same camp with Deni in opposition against president Mohamed Farmaajo.

In a protest, the federal government of Somalia was accused by the opposition of fielding candidates in favour of outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, and quite a number of them have since been announced as winners.

Somalia is under pressure to hold parliamentary elections but the exercise has been marred with serious vote fraud. The decision by Deni to support the exercise may have been made after a thorough consultation.

GAROWE ONLINE