Somalia: NCC, opposition pick a team to review contentious electoral issues

Somali PM holds joint meeting with FMS and opposition leaders on Monday night in Mogadishu [Photo: OPM]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The National Consultative Council which brings together the leaders of the Federal Member States [FMS] and PM has agreed with presidential candidates to form a technical committee, which will dissect issues raised on elections of the Lower House members.

On Monday, various opposition leaders rejected a recently signed agreement that allowed FMS leaders to directly influence Lower House polls, contrary to the May 27 agreement, which was signed by all states and the Banadir region, after months of delay.

In the agreement, it had been agreed that FMS only play role in senatorial elections according to the deal. Already, a number of states have carried out senatorial polls but HirShabelle is yet to even kickstart the process.

Sources indicate that the FMS leaders agreed to discuss the issues raised in the complaints and objections of the Union of Presidential Candidates in the Lower House Parliamentary elections. The team will look into the matter and report for further actions.

In separate meetings between the candidates and the FMS leaders, the two sides have appointed a three-member committee to review some of the issues in the process, such as the selection of delegates for traditional elders and the role of the civil society, and the check on the CID later.

Tomorrow [Wednesday], a three-member committee will be convened by the Union of presidential Candidates from Abdirahman Abdishakur, Sharif Hassan, and Dahir Guelleh. At the same time, the presidents of the states will be Said Deni, Abdiaziz Lafta Gareen, and Ahmed Qoorqoor.

A meeting between Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and FMS leaders resolved on Sunday the exercise will only be the reserve of clan elders and civil society organizations. FMS leaders had requested to be incorporated into the Lower House polls.

According to a communique from the two-day, meeting, elders registered by the Federal Governments will jointly with civil society organizations select the delegates. A total of 101 delegates will participate in the election of each member of Lower House, it noted.

In the agreement, each sub-clan will have a civil society representative who will select the delegates. The list of the delegates will later be verified by the State Indirect Elections Team (SIET) in each regional state. The decision to lock out FMS leaders is in concert with rules of procedure issued last week by the Federal Indirect Elections Team (FIET).

By excusing FMS leaders from the process, it is a step in clipping their influence on who becomes a member of parliament. The ongoing senate elections in the FMS parliaments have been marked by overriding influence by FMS leaders through a selection of allies and loyalists.

The opposition candidates have strongly rejected the registered 135 elders who have been the base for the last election to be excluded from the selection of the electoral delegates.

The communique further directed that delegates for Somaliland and the Banaadiri community in Mogadishu be selected by commonly agreed elders and the list be verified by the Office of the Prime Minister. The meeting also directed that the elections budget committee be comprised of members from the OPM and regional governments.

On Monday, the opposition leaders poked holes into the Lower House procedures, further forcing Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to retreat with FMS leaders to iron out a few issues that were raised by the opposition team.

GAROWE ONLINE