Friday April 22, 2022

 Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo said that Friday's separate elections in Garbaharey and Elwak violated the Indirect Election Directive agreement and called for an immediate leadership convention to find an amicable solution and a political agreement to solve the 16 seats in Garbaharey.

Two parallel elections run by members of the Federal Electoral Implementation Team have begun on Friday in Garbaharey and Elwak in the Gedo region.
In a decree issued on Friday by Villa Somalia, Farmajo announced his rejection of the two competing elections to the National Leadership Consultative Forum and the Interim Speaker of the House of the People and calls for respect and adherence to the 17 September agreement. He added that the National Consultative Forum must agree to any changes to the agreement.

The President’s latest decree comes as electoral delegates in El-Wak have elected 8 out of Jubbaland’s 16 remaining parliamentary seats on Friday.

Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe Islam travelled from the regional capital Kismayo to Elwak to oversee the election.

"Any legislator elected in an illegal and flawed process that violates the electoral agreement and Law No. 30 will not have the equal rights as legislators elected in compliance with 17 September 2020 election agreement.” The presidential decree said.

President Farmaajo added that any legislator elected in either process could not participate in the Speakers or the Presidential election.

"Members of the National Consultative Forum must review any changes to the 17th September agreement and related regulations”, he added.

Months ago, international partners called on Somali leaders to find solutions to any election impasse and avoid any "parallel process, partial elections.”

The President of Jubbaland state Ahmed Mohamed Islam Ahmed Madobe has accused outgoing President Farmajo of plotting to divide seats in Gedo, saying that will never happen.

Political tensions in the Gedo region resurfaced this week after the chairman of the Federal Electoral Implementation Team, Muse Guelleh Yusuf, announced that the election of the 16 Gedo seats moved from Garbaharey to Elwak without any agreements from the National Consultative Forum.