Somalia PM meets with opposition leader over pre-election crisis

MOGADISHU, Somalia - In what could be concerted efforts to have peaceful elections in Somalia, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Wednesday evening held a closed-door meeting with Wadajir leader Abdirahman Abdishakur, who has been critical of the government's preparedness in holding elections in the country.

For the past two months, Roble, who took over in 2020, has been trying to meet various stakeholders, to solve the stalemate which threatens peaceful coexistence and integration in the country. His efforts have, however, been largely unsuccessful.

The meeting started after the evening prayers and was held behind closed doors. Abdirahman Abdishakur has been a fierce critic of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who he accuses of scuttling ongoing peacebuilding processes in the country.

In a tweet, Abdishakur confirmed the meeting with the Prime Minister, adding that they largely focused on the controversial electoral committee, withdrawal of troops from Gedo, and the polls committee of Somaliland, which has also been subjected to controversy.

“Today [Wednesday] I held a meeting with PM Roble at his office. We discussed complaints about the electoral committees, the Somaliland issue, and the Gedo issue. He promised that he is ready to address these complaints and to ensure a peaceful and transparent election,” he said in a post on Twitter.

“We also discussed election campaign freedoms including the holding of public meetings and demonstrations, as well as the need to work together towards the country’s stability,” added the opposition leader, who has also expressed interest to dethrone Farmajo.

Reports say Warsame was representing the Council of Presidential Candidates, who expressed concerns about the electoral commission several times in the past. This was the second meeting between the prime minister and Warsame.

The opposition has been calling for dialogue to unravel the stalemate but the government has insisted on going on with the elections without consensus. The country was expected to start regional polls in December last year but the process has been delayed due to the aforementioned issues.

GAROWE ONLINE