Opposition mounts on direct polls ideology in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia could wait a little longer to implement the universal suffrage model of elections, with the leadership showing sharp divisions despite the decision by the National Consultative Council (NCC) to adopt the approach in the upcoming electoral outings.

Since 1969, Somalia has yet to hold direct elections and has frequently embraced indirect elections where elders and prominent members of the community dictate outcomes. Although the model is largely based on consensus, critics argue that it denies locals an opportunity to make independent decisions.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the proponent of universal suffrage, agreed with leaders from Southwest, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug to have direct polls next year ahead of presidential elections, in a conference that was boycotted by Jubaland and Puntland.

According to the disputed agreement, direct local elections should take place in June 2025, followed by the regional parliamentary and leadership elections in September 2025. The original schedule was June 2024 for local elections and November 2024 for parliamentary and regional leadership elections.

The agreement followed after weeks-long discussions in Mogadishu. But two regions - Jubaland and Puntland are away from the talks. Jubaland’s Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe walked out of the polls, citing term extension concerns while Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland kept off, blaming Hassan Sheikh of 'inadequate' consultations.

After the ratification of the agreement on Wednesday, Jubaland State of Somalia formally expressed its opposition to any extension of presidential terms for federal and state leaders, rejecting outcomes of the NCC summit led by President Hassan Sheikh.

Federal MPs from Puntland also expressed strong opposition to constitutional amendments initiated by President Hassan Sheikh, asserting that these alterations breach the social agreement adopted on August 1, 2012.

The parliamentarians refused to participate in or endorse any laws they believed could precipitate political chaos, pointing the finger at the Federal Government of Somalia for not upholding national cohesion, particularly for excluding key stakeholders from NCC meetings.

The team's spirit was buoyed by pressure from key opposition figures, including former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Farmajo as well as Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and current MP Abdirahman Abdishakur, who rejected the outcomes in wholesale.

They criticized President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's alleged constitutional oversteps. They warned of holding the president accountable for any resultant instability.

The opposition also encouraged leaders from HirShabelle, Galmudug, and SouthWest states to oppose what they see as the president's attempts to weaken governance and constitutional integrity. They praised Jubaland's President for resisting term extension moves, urging adherence to constitutional election processes.

Besides these internal conflicts, Somalia is also fighting the Al-Shabaab militants, who still control large swathes of rural central and southern regions, and the country is also in direct conflict with Ethiopia over forceful access to the Red Sea by Addis Ababa, which signed a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

GAROWE ONLINE