Somalia: Puntland President urged not to yield to 4.5 quota
GAROWE, Somalia, December 12, 2015 (Garowe Online)-Lawmakers have called on Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali not to bow to pressure mounting on him over the fate of 4.5 power sharing formula on Saturday, Garowe Online reports.
Speaking with a collective voice at a news conference in the state capital of Garowe, Puntland MPs warned Puntland delegation in Mogadishu against yielding to controversial 4.5 quota.
Following nation-wide consultations, Puntland and Jubaland suggested that the country’s old system for power corridors be scrapped for constituency-based electoral model, something rejected by Galmudug and Southwest state administrations.
They said that any such backing down would be tantamount to disregard for the voices of 600 delegates, referring to Puntland representatives assembled for the national consultations on election models in 2016.
“We urge International community to opt for neutrality in this Somali-led process of reaching consensus on 2016 elections. We have so far heard of reports of pressure mounting on Puntland delegation in Mogadishu,” MPs told the media.
Somali political leaders are in Mogadishu to agree on political transition by 2016 when the mandate of current government ends.
GAROWE ONLINE