Farmajo's allies kicked out of electoral committee ahead of polls

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's opposition recorded a major victory ahead of elections, following a complaint filed against a number of electoral committee officials, who were accused of having close links to outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

The opposition team submitted 67 names of people it accuses of being National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] spies, civil servants, and, or sycophants of Farmajo, who they demanded that are kicked out of the crucial electoral committee.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble had constituted a ministerial-level committee which was to receive complaints and evidence on the accused as the country works hard to prepare elections within the next two months.

And on Saturday, the committee confirmed that 34 people on the 67-member list submitted by the opposition indeed are unfit to serve, with 14 federal-level members implicated in the fiasco. This means the 34 people will be expunged from the committee soonest.

The ministerial-level committee team has ordered that the implicated officials are removed immediately. This will now allow the country to prepare elections based on the recent pre-election agreement which was signed by most stakeholders in the country last month.

The recommendation would boost trust between the opposition and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who has in recent weeks received accolades from either side of the political divide. It's not clear if Farmajo still has faith in his Prime Minister.

And the removal of the accused persons could further injure the reelection of Farmajo, who had previously been accused of plotting to rig elections in his favor. Farmajo, who has been at the helm for the last four years, had his term expire in February but failed to conduct elections in the time leading to the pre-election stalemate.

Sources tell Garowe Online that 6 out of the 15 disputed members from HirShabelle at all levels of the Electoral Commissions [FEIT], [SEIT] & Dispute Resolution team are reinstated after objections from the outgoing president and spy chief Fahad Yasin who declined to be delisted. 

The opposition wants all disputed members they submitted to be removed from the poll bodies to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent.

The names of the affected individuals will be published in due course as the country looks for their long-term replacements. It's not clear when the final list of their replacements will be out but it's expected to be concluded soonest ahead of elections.

GAROWE ONLINE