President Mohamed Farmaajo has promised one-man-one-vote elections in Somalia later this year when the country goes into polls.
Farmaajo made this vow on Saturday when he addressed the opening of the current parliament’s last session.
Initially, the President had a difficult time calming Members of Parliament down when he rose to address them.
They constantly jeered and whistled at him. The MPs also termed Farmaajo a “failure” while booing him before he addressed them in Parliament.
The Speakers of the Lower House and Upper House intervened and successfully calmed the MPs down thus affording Farmaajo ample time for addressing Parliament.
When he got his opportunity, Farmaajo was quick to reassure the MPs and the country at large that his government was committed to the universal elections.
However, there are doubts if that arrangement is possible considering that time is against achieving such a milestone.
Nevertheless, Farmaajo stated that the days of clan-based elections are now in the past and that the country cannot afford such systems.
He commended Parliament for passing the Elections Bill, which he already assented into law thus setting the stage for bloodless elections.
Farmaajo has requested Somalis in the country to register and turn up in large numbers for the upcoming elections.