Somalia’s long-postponed indirect presidential election will take place in October

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:57 am

The long-deferred presidential election in Somalia will finally take place on Oct. 10; the country’s political heads concurred on Tuesday, following months of political deadlock that turned violent on several occasions. 

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s office announced the schedule for the indirect parliamentary and presidential elections on Twitter, stating that associates had consented to a decision to vote after two days long talks in the city of Mogadishu. 

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and the heads of Somalia’s five states had not been able to concede to the terms of voting before his term ended in February, setting off a constitutional crisis in the nation.

Under immense tension, the president, also known as Farmajo, changed the mandate extension and requested his executive to reconvene with the political leaders of Somalia’s five states to make a roadmap for the elections.

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In May, the conflicting leaders announced a plan to start the multi-stage presidential election within 60 days, easing the political strains. 

On Tuesday, the plan was announced in the upper house of Parliament on July 25 and the lower house between Aug. 10 and Sept. 10. Somalia has not held direct one-person elections since 1969. 

Many efforts to put together such an election have been left by security issues or the absence of a political will. The forthcoming presidential elections, similar to others’ in the past, observe a complex indirect plan. 

Special representatives, picked by the country’s elders from myriad clans, picked the lower house MPs while the senators are nominated by the state presidents and later approved by the local legislatures.