Former President calls for ‘inclusive dialogue’ over pre-election tiff

GAROWE, Puntland – The former Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for “inclusive dialogue” to end gridlock over the electoral process that led to delays in the planned election schedule.

He said urged the Somali Government and the Federal Member States to convene another meeting and expand the participation by bringing on board representatives from the various sections of the society.

Mohamud made the remarks during his keynote speech at the 4th Heritage Institute annual forum for ideas in Garowe, the capital of the northeastern Puntland, which becomes the first time to be held in Somalia.

“The current impasse on the implementation of the September deal can result in a political setback which consequently may cost us dearly,” he added.

The 8th Somali president who has ruled the country between 2012 and 2016 emphasized the importance to give the issue of the election utmost priority and all leaders to put aside the ego and pointless self-esteem.

He stated that engaging talks through WhatsApp and other indirect communications are not enough to address the contentious issues if left unaddressed, threaten the inclusivity and integrity of the process.

On 17 September, the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and all five Federal Member States (FMS) agreed on an indirect electoral model for the upcoming polls during 4-day Mogadishu talks.

While the agreement demonstrated that Somali leaders reached a point of much-needed consensus on electoral design, there are a number of weaknesses and ambiguities that need to be resolved amicably.

Hassan Sheikh believes that convening a high-level dialogue, including the leadership of the federal government and member states, opposition figures and civil society is the most viable option available.

Despite progress in some significant areas, Somalia’s politics continue to be shaped by stark differences between key political players who failed to agree on a timely and inclusive election in the country this year.

The opposition candidates accused President Farmajo of trying to rig the election after including spy agents, his social media supporters, and civil servants in the Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT).

This caused FEIT to fail to hold an election in the country after two electoral timetables it released within a week that did not work due to the boycott of the opposition and some Federal States to involve in a biased process.

GAROWE ONLINE