The Union of Somali Presidential Candidates recently issued an 18-point communiqué demanding the dismissal of the electoral committees (including the National Electoral Committee (NEC) and the Electoral Dispute Committee (EDC), as they have members of the armed forces. The communique also called for the head of Somalia’s Intelligence Agency (NISA) Fahad Yassin to step down to achieve neutrality as Mr Yassin is the head of President Farmajo’s re-election campaign.
These demands come as the country prepares to hold presidential elections in early 2021. The statement from the candidates also called for the election 46 Somaliland and 5 Banadiri lawmakers to be held at the airport’s Tent of Appeal, in the presence of the candidates, the international community and security forces and that the legislators from the Banadiri community in Mogadishu to be managed by individuals chosen by the community instead of being managed by the state. These demands are reflective of a rising level of distrust between opposition members and the government of Somalia. In the event that the government decides to hold elections “not approved by stakeholders,” the group has threatened to hold parallel elections.
When Are Elections Due?
The last presidential elections in Somalia held in 2017, where 328 members of the Lower House and Upper House of the Somali Parliament elected the president, while the members of Parliament were elected in 2016 by 14,025 clan elder-appointed delegates. Fresh presidential polls are due in February 2021 where the incumbent, Abdullah Farmaajo, will be contesting for a second term in office alongside 14 other candidates. Elections to Parliament, which are scheduled to hold on December 1, 2020, as agreed by the federal government and six regional states earlier this year are yet to hold, and a new date has not been communicated.
Who Else Will be Contesting In 2021?
Presidential aspirants for the Somali presidential seat include former Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, former Parliamentary Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, former Finance Minister Hussein Abdi Halane, former Interior Minister Abdikarim Guled as well as Abshir Ferro, an entrepreneur and CEO of Fort Roche Group who has not previously held political office in Somalia.
