Somalia: FGS succumbs to pressure, embraces dialogue with Federal States

MOGADISHU, Somalia - After months of pressure from various stakeholders, the Federal Government of Somalia has embraced dialogue with member states, reports indicate, in a dramatic move that could erase suspicions among key players in much-anticipated polls.

Somalia is expected to hold elections later on this year, but internal disagreements over the model to be used, the fulfillment of 30 percent quota, delimitation of constituencies, and representation for Banadir and Somaliland regions.

But the parliamentary ad-hoc committee on elections and the National Independent Electoral Commission [NIEC] are set to table the final report on June 27, a move which will give a clear roadmap on holding timely elections in the war-torn nation.

Despite the commitment from the two bodies, federal states have been calling for dialogue, arguing that it will help solve the impasse. Jubaland and Puntland have been crusaders for the dialogue with the federal government.

Multiple sources have intimated that talks between the two entities over the modernities for elections have started, but at the technical level, involving representatives from both the federal government and member states.

Also involved in the preliminary talks are representatives from the Banadir region, which hosts the capital, Mogadishu. The talks, sources said, are held through video conferencing and already, three meetings have been held.

Some of the issues featured in the talks include a proposal for all federal and state leaders meeting but the representatives were yet to settle on the commonplace for the conference. Mogadishu, Baidoa, Garowe, and Kismayo were proposed as possible venues for the dialogue.

In March, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni hinted of a trip to Mogadishu where he promised to "lobby" for a conference which he proposed to be held in Garowe. His plans appear to have been slowed down by the raging Coronavirus pandemic.

Similar calls for dialogue were made by a section of opposition leaders led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the leader of Forum for National Parties, who insisted that "we must sit down and iron these differences". Somalia, he added, "cannot afford to postpone the polls".

On Thursday, Deni ruled out the clan-based electoral model famously known as 4.5, arguing that "it's unconstitutional and a recipe for chaos". But Wadajir party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame had proposed the model, which has been used for years, citing strict timelines for the polls.

The model has been the thorn in the flesh given that international partners have already backed the universal suffrage system, despite the fact that the country is struggling to register voters, a move that could drastically delay the process.

Heritage Institute of Policy Studies, a Somali Think Tank, had also ruled out both clan-based model and universal suffrage, arguing that the stakeholders should settle for a compromise to avoid unnecessary delays or even chaos.

Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheire recently told the cabinet that "we cannot afford to delay the polls, it's through such process we can get legitimacy". He added, "It's important you all get ready because Somalis want elections soonest."

The West has been pushing for consensus among local leaders, with the UN and European Union playing a critical role. Nicolas Berlanga, the EU representative for Somalia, told leaders last month to embrace genuine dialogue.

"The EU extracts from the exchanges with FMS leaders a genuine willingness of all to engage in a comprehensive dialogue with the Federal Authorities," he said. "The political agreement among leaders will ensure nationwide elections and the refocus of security efforts against Al Shabaab."

Jubaland has been condemning the federal government of allegedly plotting to sabotage regional operations, citing the deployment of SNA troops to Gedo, and increasing activities of Ethiopian non-AMISOM troops in the area as an example of "naked" aggression.

For Puntland, Deni has raised questions about the haste signing of electoral law and the controversial assenting of petroleum law. The two, he argued, ought to be subjected to dialogue for proper consensus among all Somalis.

GAROWE ONLINE