We are committed to concluding elections as soon as possible: Somali Premier

Somali Prime Minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble, announced Tuesday that his government is committed to concluding the country’s parliamentary elections “as soon as possible.”

“We are committed to concluding the elections with vetting and correction of the results in consultation with all stakeholders such as the union of presidential candidates Civil Society, Women and other stakeholders,” Roble said on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The announcement came as Roble and members of the country’s National Consultative Council (NCC) met with representatives of the international community in the capital, Mogadishu, to expedite the country’s long-delayed elections.

The Prime Minister and regional leaders of Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, and South West states as well as the mayor of the capital, Mogadishu, are holding a “correction course” of the election process conference that entered its second day.

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Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, the Somali government spokesman, said the NCC held a meeting on Tuesday with members of the international partners to hear their concerns and recommendations on the country’s situation and election shortcomings. The international partners showed their support to the NCC meeting, urging for immediate peace and credible elections, he added.

Election stalemate

The country is in the midst of yet another political and power struggle after the Somali election commission ousted its Chairman and the country’s President issued a decree that suspended the powers of his Prime Minister over alleged corruption and misuse of public land, but the Prime Minister still remained defiant and also ordered the country’s military commanders to take orders from him.

For the last 48 hours, the residents of the capital, Mogadishu, have seen some political normalcy although the leaders received international pressure to end the rhetoric and resolve the current issues, while breakthroughs have not yet been made.

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Some analysts said that to resolve the election stalemate the best way is to return to the 2016 election model without modifications.

“What the NCC can do now is to revert to the simpler model agreed in 2016 without any modification,” Rashid Abdi, the Horn of African political analyst said.

He said the country needs a new federal election implementation team chair.

“Roble must have full authority. Farmaajo (current President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed), must be disempowered and made like the rest of the presidential candidates,” Abdi added.