The Somali Presidential candidates have briefed the representatives of the international community regarding their five days’ consultation meeting in Mogadishu ahead of the upcoming polls on February next year.
The e-zoom meeting was attended by the Somalia’s international representatives led by the UN envoy ambassador James Swan, EU representatives, Nicholas Berlanga.
Other partners attended at the meeting included the African Union, Ethiopia, the European Union, Germany, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Italy, UK and USA.
“As part of its regular consultations with Somali political figures, the UNSOM was among a group of Somalia’s international partners which was today briefed by some of the presidential candidates in the country’s upcoming elections on their recent discussions held in Mogadishu,” UNSOM confirmed the participation.
According to sources privy to the online meeting, the opposition candidates raised their concerns about the members of the election committee.
The candidates who appointed former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as their chair blamed President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo administration of colluding with the national intelligence agency (NISA) in interfering with the democratic process.
The government has denied the claim through Deputy Prime minister Mahdi Mohamed Gulaid.
In an earlier e conference with the UN security council on Monday, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has reiterated the commitment by his government to conduct free and fair polls in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
He also pledged to review the concerns of the presidential and parliamentary candidates.
