(3 minutes read)
· The start of the elections in Somalia has been delayed amidst a political crisis that has been going on in that country for months. The elections were due to begin on Sunday, starting with the Senate election
· The long winding election would have continued till October 10 ending with the presidential election
· The only state in which voting could take place within a week is Jubaland. The committee has already been formed and the state chairman may release the list of candidates soon
The start of the elections in Somalia has been delayed amidst political crisis that has been going on in that country for months. The elections were due to begin on Sunday, starting with the Senate election. The long winding election would have continued till October 10 ending with the presidential election
The federal state regions did not submit the list of candidates who will participate in the polls on time or to form the local committees that will vote. Officials, however, maintain that the process of holding the elections will continue. According to the election rules of the country, delegates from several of clans and sub-clans in each of the five states select the parliamentarians. They, in turn, select the president.
The only state in which voting could take place within a week is Jubaland. The committee has already been formed and the state chairman may release the list of candidates soon. In Puntland the polls were delayed due to “technical problems”. In Galmudug, the local parliament is on vacation and will be reconvened only in August. In the southwest, it is reported, the president of the region is currently abroad.
In April, there were violent clashes in Mogadishu, threatening the fragile balance of the civil war-ravaged country. The two-year extension of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s term of office expired on February 8. In early May, Farmajo tasked his Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble with organizing elections as soon as possible.