Somalia’s international partners have raised their concerns about the ongoing rift between the government and the opposition regarding the elections.
“Somalia’s international partners remain deeply concerned about the ongoing disagreements over the implementation of the 2020/21 electoral process.”
In a press statement issued on Tuesday AU, EU, OIC, UK and US called for urgent resolutions on the difference in line with September political agreement between the government and regional administrations.
“These disagreements need to be resolved in a manner that respects the 17 September political agreement and the implementation protocols signed by the Federal and Federal Member State (FMS) leaders on 1 October. Initiating a parallel process imposing disputed electoral management committees that do not meet the agreed criteria undermines the legitimacy of the electoral process and creates instability.”
The International partners particularly called for another meeting between the leadership of the federal government and regional member states to resolve concerns about the management of the electoral process.
“We reiterate our call on the Federal and FMS leaders to reconvene urgently and to reach out to other stakeholders to resolve concerns about the management of the electoral process through consensus-building so that timely, transparent, and credible elections embraced by the Somali people and all key stakeholders can take place.”
The statement further welcomed the efforts by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble in deescalating the election impasse with some regional state leaders adding they will provide the necessary support to ensure the success of his commitment.
“We welcome Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s commitment to convene the leaders in Mogadishu following his current visits to the Federal Member States. We stand ready to provide support to the Federal and State electoral committees once the dialogue to resolve the dispute over their composition is successfully concluded.
