Somalia: PM Roble holds meeting with team from opposition leader
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Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 14-12-2021, 11:37AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Monday held a closed-door meeting with members of Himilo Qaran party, headed by former President Sheikh Sharif, amid simmering electoral tensions in Somalia.
Members of the opposition led by the Union of Presidential Candidates [UPC] have already boycotted Lower House elections on the pretext that the exercise has been infiltrated by some Federal States leaders, who still want outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo at the helm.
The team from Himilo Qaran Party, a statement issued by the party noted, agreed to work together to correct the election misconduct and prevent any move that could delay holding elections in the country, which has almost eroded confidence from the international community.
However, the statement, posted on the party's Facebook page, appears to contradict the decision of the union of presidential candidates to disagree with the current election process in Somalia. The former President Sharif Ahmed is the chairman of the Somali presidential candidates.
PM Roble is currently campaigning to nullify the opposition's demand that the Lower House elections be postponed due to corruption. The opposition accuses the government of stage-managing the exercise contrary to initial deliberations.
Already, the Federal Elections Implementation Team [FEIT] has warned that all states should commence Lower House elections within 48 hours to avoid prolonging the exercise. Jubaland, Puntland, and Hirshabelle were put on notice.
On Tuesday morning, Jubaland announced the commencement of elections in 14 units within the state, just hours after the warning from the team. Both Jubaland and Puntland have been critical of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.
The electoral exercise was set to start in December 2020 with presidential polls scheduled for February this year. However, internal wrangles led to the delay, almost earning Farmaajo an indirect extension of his term by 12 months.
GAROWE ONLINE
