Somalia's opposition issues fresh demands amid election crisis

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's opposition team has issued fresh demands amid the ongoing National Consultative Council [NCC] meeting in Mogadishu, which seeks to solve a host of issues surrounding elections in the Horn of Africa nation.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble is currently leading Federal State Members and Banadir region leaders in a meeting that comes after weeks of rigging claims by the opposition. The opposition accuses outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo of stage-managing elections to his advantage.

On Tuesday, the opposition maintained that only 135 registered Elders must choose delegates; publish names before Election Day to avoid current confusions which led to the cancellation of a number of Lower House elections outcomes.

Further, the opposition said electoral committees must verify delegates; publish their names before Election Day. In addition, the opposition said a repeat of disputed election results; decision by disputes committee should be voided.

The opposition presidential candidates urged PM Mohamed Hussein Roble to take charge of full control of the security in Somalia, adding that outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo should to stay out and remain only as a candidate.

Further, the opposition wants the PM to make sure the security forces do not mix with politics. The security issue is one of the highly deliberated topics during the NCC meeting as sources infer that Galmadug leader Ahmed Kaliye and Southwest counterpart Abdiaziz Laftagareen resented security topics to be entailed in the communique, arguing that its responsibility already resides with Roble.

The international partners after meeting with Mohamed Roble and FMS leaders on Tuesday said would like to see all Somali leaders lower tensions, show restraint, reduce confrontation, refrain from taking decisions without consultation and avoid the use of force.

After having seen many procedural irregularities in the Lower House election in Somalia, the partners urged the NCC to use the ongoing consultative talks in Mogadishu to correct those deficiencies and make the process more transparent and credible.

The National Consultative Council [FGS-FMS] should set a timeline for the completion of the elections in Somalia that is realistic, achievable, and to which all the Federal Member States leaders genuinely committed, international partners added.

Foreign diplomats in Mogadishu said delays in elections are an obstacle to international support for Somalia in other priority areas, such as security, development, and debt relief. It's anticipated that the meeting will help in cooling political tensions.

GAROWE ONLINE