Somalia: Electoral body clears over 200 legislators

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Over 200 legislators have been cleared by Somalia's electoral agency, a strong indication that the April 14 swearing-in deadline will be met, even though the country is yet to fill all seats as required by the transitional constitution of the nation.

The Federal Electoral Implementation Team [FEIT] announced that it had certified 200 members of the parliament from both houses. Already, 245 Lower House members had been confirmed by FEIT while 54 senators also got cleared by the team.

Among those cleared ahead of swearing-in were presidential candidate Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, a critic of the current administration, and Somalia ambassador to ambassador to Pakistan Khadija Almakhzoumi.

Interestingly, most MPs who were elected in Southwest have not been collecting their clearance certificates after regional President Abdiaziz Laftagareen severed ties with Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, accusing him of sabotage.

In a statement, Laftagareen accused the PM of "withholding seats" from the federal member state and violating the independence of the electoral commissions. Some of those whose results were nullified are close allies of outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

The electoral exercise has dragged on for months, with members of the international community piling pressure on the country's leadership to conduct the polls within the agreed timeline. But even with the clearance, some seats are yet to be filled.

Jubaland and HirShabelle are the only two states which are yet to conclude the exercise, following disagreements among local leaders. Both states have been pushing for free and fair elections, but a host of internal challenges have made this untenable.

On Sunday, Jubaland leader Ahmed Madobe said he doesn’t want to see the disputed 16 seats in the Gedo region left behind in completing the parliamentary elections. He said he wants a “free and fair” contest observed by the diplomatic missions in the country.

GAROWE ONLINE