Somalia: Jubaland President cleared to run for 3rd term in office

KISMAYO, Somalia - Jubaland’s electoral body has on Saturday, July 20 cleared incumbent President Ahmed Madobe to run for a third term in office in the next month’s hotly contested election, Garowe Online reports.

Madobe who has been in power since the inception of the Southern Federal State in 2013 is now facing stiff competition from several candidates reportedly backed by the Somali Government in Mogadishu.

The much-anticipated regional presidential vote is slated for 24th August 2019, according to the election timetable released by the electoral commission of Jubaland last week.

The sitting Jubaland state president has shown strong appetite to remain in office, saying he got an endorsement from key local clans to stand against Mogadishu’s power and resources to unseat him.

The electoral body has barred candidates married to foreigners as well as those without university degrees or leadership experience of at least 10 years and did not stay in Somalia for the past two years.

According to rules published on Thursday by the state’s electoral commission, male candidates must pay $30,000 registration fee and $15,000 for female runners and should resign, if holding parliamentary seats or ministerial dockets.

The upcoming parliamentary and presidential election will take place in the southern port city of Kismayo amid strained relations between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Jubaland state.

As part of election preparedness, the security of the city has been extremely heightened since the July 12 Al-Shabaab attack at As'asey hotel that left 26 dead, among them presidential candidate and two journalists while 56 others hurt.

During his Kismayo visit last week, UN's new envoy James Swan informed Madobe that the international partners want the election take place without violence, interference, on time, and that it follows a fair and transparent process broadly acceptable to all.

GAROWE ONLINE