FTL Somalia

Somalia Opposition Presidential Candidates Write to International Partners

Presidential candidates from the opposition have written a letter to Somalia’s international partners over the elections crisis facing the country.

The candidates wrote the letter under their Council for Presidential Candidates’ Union.

They met in Mogadishu on January 11, 2021 to discuss the import of the announcement by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble that elections would take place in a few regions.

On Saturday, Roble announced that Somalia would only hold elections in Galmudug, Benadir, HirShabelle, and Southwest while omitting Jubbaland and Puntland.

The announcement left politicians, especially the leaders, in Jubbaland and Puntland seething in anger.

Furthermore, opposition candidates also expressed their displeasure at the announcement.

In their letter to the international community, the candidates accused the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) of mismanaging the electoral process.

Additionally, they encouraged the international community to oversee a meeting between FGS, Federal Member States (FMS), and opposition candidates.

The candidates urged representatives of the international community and the civil society organizations in Somalia to attend that meeting too.

According to the candidates, the meeting between all those stakeholders should take place before February 8, 2021 when President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s term expires.