Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Himilo Qaran party was appointed the new chairman of the Forum for National Parties (FNP) on Wednesday. With that announcement, he is set to vie for the presidency against the current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
The newly formed alliance also includes former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of UPD. It is the first time the country witnesses two of its former presidents forming an alliance before elections.
Currently, the country’s parliament has been moving around Somaliland seeking to create new laws that govern the mother of all elections set for next year.
Parliamentary elections will take place in November 2020 when the current parliament’s term ends. Presidential elections will follow shortly afterward.
If everything remains constant, MPs shall have the prerogative of electing the new president. Generally, the country feels that it is time to embrace the ‘one-man-one-vote’ system. The system is universally used in presidential elections worldwide.
Sheikh Mohamud has been a huge critic of the current president’s regime. The country saw the bad blood that exists between the two during the recent controversial inauguration of President Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland.
“We ask the government to remove the sanctions that it has imposed on Jubaland. The dire humanitarian crisis needs addressing quickly,” Sheikh Mohamud said.
On his part, Farmajo continues to reject Madobe’s legitimacy. He has accused Kenya of being behind what he perceives as the controversial election of Madobe. Meanwhile, Madobe has been calling for dialogue for the past two weeks after taking the oath of office.
A week ago, Mohamud asserted that Farmajo has been making plans to enter negotiations with Kenya over the highly disputed Indian Ocean region.
According to Mohamud, Somaliland needs to know what the ICJ says about the maritime dispute. He says, “Is someone willing to negotiate with Kenya? We want to know?”
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya has not shied away from pursuing an out of court settlement. Despite that, Farmajo told the UN General Assembly that met in September that the country would prefer the court process.
International Court of Justice has postponed the case until June 2020. During its ruling, the court argued that it would not accept any application for a postponement by Kenya.
According to a Nation journalist, Nyambega Gisesa, the merger by the opposition could hastily end Farmajo’s reign.
“The alliance is quite formidable and not to be taken lightly since its two major leaders have served the country as Presidents and enjoy a massive following,” Gisesa says. Therefore, he concludes that Farmajo has no choice other than to embrace reconciliation.
For years, Farmajo has been blamed for his divisiveness. He has recently demonstrated this trait in his electoral dispute with Jubaland and the frosting of relationships with Kenya.
