Somalia: Jubaland's Election Rift with FGS Deepens as Mediation Efforts Stall

KISMAYO, Somalia - The Jubaland frosty relations with Mogadishu may take many more months to heal before a lasting solution is achieved through mediation, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre warning the use of regional forces to influence elections.

Without an agreement with Mogadishu, authorities in Kismayo have made their threat real by endorsing indirect elections as opposed to a one-person, one-vote approach which was vouched by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, triggering potential differences ahead of 2026 polls.

Jubaland expects to conduct indirect presidential elections by next week, locking reconciliation of the exercise with Hassan Sheikh’s blueprint. Madobe, a former close ally of Hassan Sheikh, is expected to win re-election easily.

On Tuesday, Jubaland sworn in new members of parliament [75] as the election of the president will be held on 25th November, according to the timetable issued by the regional electoral commission. 

But Barre, who hails from Jubaland, warns that the strategy would be counterproductive, adding that the use of regional forces to influence elections shall be opposed by the federal government which is streamlining Somalia’s democratization.

"Any attempt to use regional forces to influence an election shall have greater consequences," said Barre, adding: "We cannot allow individuals to trivialise sensitive matters including derailing our efforts to promote democracy in the country."

While launching the scathing attack, Barre raised doubts about the legitimacy of the Jubaland elections where the traditional elders are picking legislators who will elect the president in a set-up which has dominated Somalia politics for a while.

"He has no legitimacy to serve and hold elections in Jubaland state," added Barre. Madobe is set to hold an election on 25th November amid The VillaSomalia rejection.

For Madobe, the universal suffrage model would give room for unprecedented term extensions for both regional and federal leaders, a position also supported by Puntland state. Both states have terminated cooperation with the federal government.

The government of Somalia is facing significant internal revolt, with Hassan Sheikh, a critic of term extensions, accused of blatantly practising what was abhorrent during his time in opposition under Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed alias Farmajo.

GAROWE ONLINE