Somalia: Farmajo invites Federal States leaders to talks on pre-election dispute

MOGADISHU, Somalia - President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has yet again called for a consultative meeting pitting the federal government of Somalia and federal states, following recommendations by the technical committee, which earmarked five points that need urgent attention.

Farmajo now wants all regional leaders to convene in Mogadishu for the meeting over the electoral crisis, which threatens to plunge the country into an unprecedented constitutional crisis.

Initially, Farmajo had proposed that the meeting take place in Garowe, an idea that was opposed by regional leaders.

According to Farmajo, his administration will now focus on the implementation of the pre-election deal that was signed on September 17 last year. The deal has been sluggishly implemented, but the parties could not settle on the people sitting at the electoral committee.

“President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo convenes a two days Leadership Consultative Summit which shall be held in Mogadishu from 18-19 February 2021. The Federal Government, Federal Member States, and Benadir Administration will discuss the 17 September 2020 elections agreement,” Villa Somalia said in the statement.

The 14-member team drawn from the federal and regional governments who met in Baidoa for two days announced that all the contentious issues had been resolved. They, however, recommended that the stakeholders should meet and discuss issues that were identified.

According to the committee, three contentious issues are the appointments of the Federal Indirect Elections Team [FIET], Somaliland elections Team, and the Gedo region. The committee called for a meeting of Farmajo and five leaders of the federal member states on 18th February to finalize the deal to pave way for the national elections.

The outcome of the meeting by the technical committee has welcomed the announcement by International partners.

“The partners further welcome the technical committee’s call for the Federal Government and Federal Member State leaders to meet on 18 February, and urge these leaders to do so in order to conclude the Committee’s work, so that the elections can be organized as a matter of priority,” the partners said.

International partners have been pushing stakeholders to meet to iron out the quagmire but both sides seem hell-bent to defend their positions. Farmajo's term elapsed on February 8, but he's still in office courtesy of an outgoing president.

GAROWE ONLINE