President Said Abdullahi Deni of the semiautonomous state of Puntland has reaffirmed his elections stance in a meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.
The meeting represents the first by Prime Minister Roble to solve the ongoing impasse over the upcoming elections in Somalia.
Deni and President Ahmed Islam Madobe of Jubbaland have threatened not to participate in the upcoming elections until the Federal Government of Somalia meets certain conditions.
On Saturday, December 12, Deni stuck to his guns.
He refused to cede any ground in his talks with Prime Minister Roble.
President Deni issued a set of conditions that the FGS must meet before it appoints a State Interim Elections Team (SIET).
First, he urged the government to respond to President Madobe’s concerns over Gedo, which the Jubbaland leader wants returned to local administration as soon as possible.
Secondly, Deni urged the government to reconstitute the Federal Interim Elections Team (FIET), a call that the opposition has repeatedly made.