Crucial election talks in Somalia enter the second day

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Prime Minister of Somalia Mohamed Hussein Roble is chairing the National Consultative Council [NCC] meeting for the second day in Mogadishu amid a fall out with the outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

For weeks, stakeholders have been calling for the meeting to help streamline electoral exercise which has been marred with controversy in various states. The opposition accuses Farmaajo of stage-managing the exercise to his own advantage.

Ali Gudlawe [Hirshabelle], Abdiaziz Lafta-Gareen [Southwest], Ahmed Karie alias Qoorqoor [Galmadug], Ahmed Madobe [Jubaland], Said Abdullahi Deni [Puntland], and Omar Filish of Banadir regional governor are all attending the meeting at Afisyoni tent near Mogadishu airport.

The federal and regional leaders in the National Consultative Council are meeting in Mogadishu to ‘course-correct’ the election amid reports of irregularities. The meeting comes at the time Farmaajo and PM Roble are embroiled in serious differences.

PM Roble’s office said the meeting with regional leaders will ‘mainly focus on security and the expeditious conclusion of the elections’. There are calls to reduce the number of election locations in each federal state from 2 to 1. Unclear if the NCC will endorse this theory.

"NCC meeting chaired by PM Mohamed Roble kicks off today in Mogadishu. The meeting attended by Presidents of Puntland, Jubbaland, South West, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, and BRA will be focused on accelerating elections, improving electoral procedures, and agreed upon final schedule," said Mohamed Moalimuu, Roble's spokesperson.

A number of stakeholders have been calling for a credible and verifiable electoral process in Somalia, which is acceptable to all parties. Even with rigging claims, the federal government of Somalia has remained tight-lipped, leading to differences in the executive.

GAROWE ONLINE