‘Rule of One Man’: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Faces Criticism Over Governance Style  

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has yet again been subjected to a scathing attack over his style of leadership, with the opposition team now accusing him of governing the country without following the rule of law as prescribed in the constitution.

Abdirahman Abdishakur, one of the leading opposition figures, says Hassan Sheikh has mutilated the constitution without national consensus, adding that the amendments violate the very amendments he oversaw a few years ago.

The president, Abdishakur, said, bypassed political stakeholders and federal state leaders by amending the provisional constitution, which has been in place since 2012 and was awaiting final approval by relevant state organs.

“President Mohamud made changes to a constitution that was built on national consensus. He did so without agreement, and ironically, even failed to adhere to the new provisions he introduced,” Mr Abdishakur said.

“Even under his own amended constitution, such appointments are illegal,” he added in reference to the appointment of Mogadishu mayors who have served under his tenure as the president.

On the direct polls, Abdishakur argues that there will be no concurrence since a number of states, including Southwest and Galmudug, have been adding that the indirect elections have been operational in several states for the last two years since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came into power.

“The country is not being governed by the rule of law, but by the will of one man,” Mr Abdishakur asserted. “The president is running state affairs single-handedly, sidelining his own cabinet and undermining institutional processes.”

Further, he alleged that security forces have forcibly registered Mogadishu residents for voting, describing instances where civilians were reportedly removed from vehicles at gunpoint.

“If registration is done under such coercion, will people be expected to vote with RPGs pointed at their heads?” he asked.

Hassan Sheikh wants the country to initiate universal suffrage elections, a drift from the old model — clan-based model, but the opposition insists the country does not enjoy adequate infrastructure to sustain the model within the next year.

GAROWE ONLINE