#Other Countries Somalia has not completed elections to the lower house of parliament by the deadline set for Tuesday, marking another delay in the electoral process that could lead to the appointment of a new president, expected by more than a year. Is.
The federal states of Southwest and Galmudug concluded their election of representatives on Tuesday, but 40 of the 275 seats in the lower house were yet to be filled in three states (Jubland, Hirschbeil, Puntland), according to an AFP-based tally. on official figures.
The closing of the lower house elections is a major step towards the election of a new president. Under Somalia’s complex system, federal state legislatures and representatives of myriad clans and sub-clans select the legislators who appoint the president.
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As a troubled country in the Horn of Africa confronted with an insurgency from radical Islamists Shebaab for 15 years, Somalia has been waiting more than a year to elect a new head of state.
The president since 2017, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Faramajo, saw his mandate expire on February 8, 2021, without agreeing with regional leaders on the organization of the election.
The announcement in mid-April to extend his mandate for two years sparked armed conflicts in Mogadishu.
In a gesture of appeasement, Farmajo instructed his prime minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble, to hold the election. But after this the tension between the two men multiplied, delaying the process.
The elections to the Upper House end in late 2021. In early January, Roble and regional leaders reached an agreement to complete the electoral cycle for the lower house, which began in November, by February 25. Pharmajo had confirmed its support for the agreement.
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The repeated postponements worry the international community, which believes they divert the authorities’ attention from issues important to the country, such as the Shebab rebellion.
After the postponement on 25 February, the United States announced visa sanctions against the personalities accused of ,The weakening of the democratic process in Somalia,,
A few days ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told AFP that financial aid to the country, which is due to expire automatically in May, had been threatened if a new government was not appointed by then.
The United Nations also met with officials through its envoy to the country, James Swan. ,to accelerate and finish early, Lower house elections.