The leader of the opposition Himilo Qaran Party, ex-President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, is ready to face other presidential candidates in a national debate.
Senator Ilyas Ali Hassan, elected to the Upper House through the party, confirmed this on September 28.
On Monday, he tweeted this when responding to a message from Harun Maruf, a veteran Somali journalist, on Twitter.
In his tweet, Maruf had wondered if any of the presidential candidates would “ever accept to participate in a debate where their records would be examined thoroughly.”
While responding to this tweet, Senator Ilyas confirmed that Sharif Sheikh was ready for the challenge and would not hide behind the applause and unquestioned loyalty of his supporters.
Interestingly, Sharif Sheikh is one of the leaders of the Forum for National Parties (FNP), a coalition of opposition parties in Somalia.
FNP is yet to indicate the name of the person it would be presenting to the public as its presidential candidate.