Renewed hope for Somalia's presidential election as polls agency issues certificates to MPs

MOGADISHU, Somalia- Somalis are now eagerly waiting for presidential elections a year after Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo's term expired.

The delayed presidential polls may be held before the end of May.

Somalia has been undergoing a lengthy electoral process yet to be concluded in some states, resulting in further delay of the already late presidential election.

Somalia uses a hybrid system where elected members of the two Houses of Parliament—Lower House and Senate—elect the president.

The Federal Electoral Implementation Committee (FEIT) announced that it would issue certificates to winners of various parliamentary and senatorial seats, marking an important step toward the presidential polls. 

Parliamentarians who won seats and got approval from various commissions have been directed to move to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, to collect their certificates as they await their swearing-in scheduled for April 14.

On Thursday, FEIT announced the list of MPs of both Houses of the new parliament ahead of the planned swearing-in.

Fahad Yasin, Farmaajo's National Security Advisor, who also served as the head of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), along with three MPs from Southwest, were removed from the list after their election win was suspended. 

The FEIT list includes 245 members of the Lower House seats and 54 for the Senate.

While the Senate seats are all filled, FEIT announced that 30 seats in the Lower House are still vacant. The seats are to be filled by members mainly from Jubaland and Hirshabelle, where local authorities are yet to agree on the members to take up the positions. 

The unresolved political disputes and deteriorating security could further delay the presidential election. Still, FEIT seems to be working within the previously arranged timelines, which could mean ensuring elections are held in the coming weeks. 

On Friday, Muse Gelle, the Chairman of Somalia's electoral body FEIT, fired FEIT secretary Abdirahim Abdiaziz, a close ally of former NISA Director Fahad Yasin. Abdirahim had opposed the electoral agency’s rejection of Fahad’s election. 

GAROWE ON-LINE