A number of lawmakers from Somali Federal Parliament’s Lower House have rejected the calls for indirect elections.
Last night, over 60 Members of Parliament (MPs) held a closed-door meeting with Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.
They urged Farmaajo to express his opinion on the model that he prefers for the upcoming 2020/21 elections.
For months, the country’s leadership and voters have been talking about the universal suffrage or one-person-one-vote model.
However, the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) said the country needs more time to prepare for the universal suffrage polls.
The lawmakers told President Farmaajo that the National Elections Law he recently signed stipulates that the country must hold one-person-one-vote polls.
However, several regional leaders and opposition parties have rejected the Elections Law.
Recently, leaders representing the five Federal Member States (FMS) ruled out universal suffrage polls and said the country should hold indirect elections instead.
The lawmakers join a growing list of leaders opposed to indirect elections. Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman, the Speaker of the Lower House, also voiced similar sentiments recently.
This week, President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire are expected to hold talks with the five regional leaders in Dhusamareb to discuss the upcoming elections.