President Mohamed Farmaajo insists that his administration is not pursuing calls for term extension as opposition parties have claimed.
In saying this, President Farmaajo has supported the comments made by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire to the effect that the government was serious about holding elections on time.
Somalia is scheduled to hold elections in November 2020 and February 2021.
However, the Chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) Ms. Halima Ismail Ibrahim said the country was unable to hold timely elections.
Instead, she asked for postponement to March 2021 and August 2021.
Opposition leaders in the country lashed out at her opinion terming them a well-crafted move by the government to extend its term in office.
Now, two of the most senior government leaders – President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Khaire – have said that they are only interested in timely elections.
Farmaajo’s office released a statement in which he said his administration is interested in holding elections in peaceful environment.
His statement stated that a lot of “consultation and understanding” is a requirement for holding polls within the dictates of the country’s constitution and electoral law.