February 25, 2022: This is the deadline on which the Somali leaders finally agreed to complete the parliamentary elections after repeated delays that have generated a deep political crisis in this unstable country in the Horn of Africa. “The current election of the House of the People (lower house of the Federal Parliament) will be completed between January 15 and February 25, 2022 “, indicates a government press release on January 9, 2022.
According to Somalia’s complex electoral system, the assemblies of the country’s five states and delegates invested by a myriad of clans and sub-clans choose lawmakers who, in turn, appoint the president. Elections for the upper house have been concluded in all states except Galmudug, and votes began in early November for the lower house.
The agreement, which was concluded after several days of discussions organized by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble with the heads of the various Somali states, is proving to be decisive for the holding of a presidential election.
Tensions are now recurring between the Prime Minister and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by the nickname Farmajo, especially with regard to the organization of the elections. President since 2017, Farmajo saw his term expire on February 8, 2021 after failing to organize an election. The announcement in mid-April of the extension of this mandate for two years had provoked armed clashes in Mogadishu.
In a gesture of appeasement, the Head of State instructed the Prime Minister to organize the elections. But in the months that followed, the clashes between the two men continued. Until recently, in December 2021, Farmajo suspended the prime minister who immediately accused the president of “coup attempt” and challenged his authority, while the opposition called on the Somali president to resign.
In the aftermath of the announcement of the agreement, the United Nations called on all political leaders to keep their promise. On Twitter, the UN mission in Somalia said on January 10 “satisfied” of the consensus reached, but added that “the priority now is to implement these decisions in order to obtain a credible and widely accepted result by this new deadline”.
1/2) The @A in #Somalia is pleased the #NCC reached consensus to clarify #electoral procedures and expedite the House of the People #elections – the priority now is to implement these decisions to achieve a credible and widely-accepted result by the new deadline of 25 February. pic.twitter.com/E29aOlqVlq
– UNSOM (@UNSomalia) January 10, 2022
The United Nations also have “encouraged Somali political leaders to maintain the spirit of cooperation, to avoid provocations that risk (to feed) new conflicts or tensions and to focus on the expeditious execution of a credible electoral process for the benefit of all Somalis. “
Many observers believe that the crisis at the top of the state and the electoral deadlock are distracting attention from more important issues in Somalia, such as the jihadist insurgency of the Shebab that has rocked the country since 2007.