Farmajo calls for meeting over poll stalemate after US pressure

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The outgoing Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has called for an urgent meeting with federal state leaders in the latest attempt to agree on a common electoral process.

In a statement issued by Villa Somalia, Farmajo said he was calling for the conference to discuss pending contentious issues surrounding the country’s much-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections.

The office of the president said the two-day talks which will open March 22 in the capital bring together the five Federal States leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu, the signatures of the Sep 17 deal.

The call for a summit appeared to heed the pressure of the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who urged Somali leaders to put aside their political objectives and hold the election immediately.

Blinken expressed concern over the current electoral stalemate in Somalia which threatens the hard-won security gains and development in the country which has been beset by three decades of conflict.

"We are deeply concerned by the electoral impasse in Somalia. Somalia's leaders need to hold elections immediately. Continued uncertainty undermines security, stability, and prosperity" he tweeted. 

The U.S. is a key partner in the fight against terrorism and has been helping the government of Somalia in the training of the army personnel by establishing a special operations unit known as the Danab brigade.

The dispute between the Federal Government and the Federal States led the country to miss key election deadlines in December and February 8 as Farmajo’s term ended with no successor in place.

The leaders are in deadlock over the composition of the federal electoral teams, who will run polls in the Garbaharey constituency, and appointment of the committee for the election of the northern MPs.

The outgoing president faces internal and external pressure over the delayed elections that sparked uncertainty and political chaos, a move that upsets efforts to rebuild Somalia and restore law and order.

GAROWE ONLINE