EDITORIAL: An election may mean little if polling officials are unaccepted

EDITORIAL | Somalia is heading decisive months where new or old leaders are expected to be voted in. But that trajectory now faces an important hurdle, which we think should be navigated as soon as possible.

This week, more than a dozen presidential contenders from opposition political groups warned they could boycott the upcoming polls or organise parallel elections if the composition of the key electoral teams is not redone.

The 14 aspirants seeking to defeat President Farmajo have demanded a total overhaul of the electoral and the disputes resolution committees charged with overseeing the 2020-21 parliamentary and presidential elections. 

Actually, the rejection of the electoral committees had been a song sung by this group for the last two weeks. What was new is the threat to run a parallel poll.

These presidential contenders argue the teams are composed of security agents, spies and civil servants loyal to the President. They argue that the teams cannot be expected to be fair or conduct a credible election as they have a master to honour.

Each of the Presidential aspirants has in private named certain individuals thought to be apparently biased. While we do not seek to determine the merits of the claims, we think both threats of boycotting or running a parallel election are dangerous for Somalia.

Somalia, of all countries in the Horn, needs a credible election to maintain a trajectory out of years of civil strife. To conduct any elections just to merely go through the motions would be two steps backwards, a risk for a country and a loss of gains made.

We noted that the Prime Minister pledged the country will hold a free and fair election. In his maiden speech to the UN Security Council, Mr Mohamed Hussein Roble also pledged to ensure the country attains a third gender representation for women.

But he did not explain the bias raised of the teams he appointed. If Somalia is keen to have a free and fair election, the journey should start with who conducts the polls. We understand government officials have fronted two arguments in the recent past; that polling officials have always been people in civil service, or that the lists were a result of a negotiated agreement between the Federal government and the federal member states.

That may be right, and even federal states of Puntland, South West, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and Jubaland which agreed to the famous Dhusamareb III deal have not been vocal against the lists.

The danger is these arguments can isolate stakeholders whose participation in the polls could improve its acceptability. This platform does not support the Presidential candidates merely because they front a common argument. We support them because we notice the risk of not listening to them.

First, the 14 candidates represent a significant following and influence among the Somalia community. They include ex-Presidents and former Prime Ministers such as Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Hassan Ali Khaire. To attempt to ignore their calling is to isolate their constituency from taking part in the country’s revolving growth.

Secondly, their arguments are very characteristic of a democracy. Somalia may not be the perfect form of democracy, but it must preserve its gains all the same. All of the recent transitions happened peacefully because candidates concerted around the polling programme, and accepted electoral officials.

Our call is for Somalia to avoid bulldozing and build consensus around who should referee the next elections. Sure there are arguments about the potential impact of any changes in the teams on the electoral calendar.

Given the circumstances, the conduct of elections will matter more than the date itself. This is why we call on the government to consider reviewing the electoral teams. That will be the difference between a meaningful election and chaos.

GAROWE ONLINE