Hiiraan Online
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somali leaders have failed to agree on the approach for the country’s upcoming 2016 elections as the Somali government proposed a presidential election of which the parliament would elect the president.
The talks that were held for the country’s stakeholders including regional leaders and Somali government aimed to brainstorm ideas on the kind of elections Somalia would be holding in 2016 has ended with no sign of consensus Wednesday.
Some of the leaders who attended the National Consultative Forum argued that elections should be held using the 4.5 clan power sharing system to allocate political representation among clans in Somalia, an idea opposed by other leaders.
According to officials, despite the impasse, the leaders would have to hold the second round of talks in January to reach an agreement which would decide the course of the elections the country would hold in 2016.
Puntland and Jubbaland leaders have earlier recommended holding the upcoming elections, considering constituencies while leaders from Galmudug and South-western states dismissed the idea and instead called for 4.5 system of election.
According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government would come to an end in August and September 2016,
respectively.
Somalia’s government has proposed a presidential election in 2016; however, it dismissed the likelihood of holding popular elections due to security challenges.
The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group continues to carry out violent attacks across Somalia by carrying out guerrilla attacks including suicide attacks and assassinations.