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The President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. / Fake images
The President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. / Fake images
Somalia President Mohamed Farmajo on Sunday expressed his commitment to holding free, fair and credible parliamentary and presidential elections without delay.
Farmajo said that the parliamentary elections, which were supposed to start on December 1, and the presidential elections scheduled for February 2021 will be held in accordance with a political agreement on indirect polls reached between his government and six regional states on 26 of September.
“We are committed to the full implementation of the electoral agreement avoiding delays in the electoral period,” he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
The Somali leader called on federal member states that have not elected members of the electoral committee to do so to ensure timely elections.
The statement comes as the Horn of Africa nation missed a December 1 deadline for holding its parliamentary elections as agreed by the government and six regional states in September.
The country’s electoral team has not yet decided on the new date for the indirect elections, as the opposition has rejected the composition of the electoral commission and its ability to cast a free, fair and credible vote and is demanding a review of the team.
The upcoming 2020/2021 survey is seen as critical to strengthening the federal system of governance, which is required to appease communities and regions that have claimed systematic exclusion and marginalization for decades.
In his statement, the president called on all government agencies to redouble their efforts by performing their roles effectively for the facilitation of the elections in accordance with the expectations of the signed political agreements.
He praised government officials for their dedicated efforts on electoral matters and in implementing their pivotal role in reaching an agreement on the country’s electoral process through negotiations.
Source (s): Xinhua News Agency
