Friday July 10, 2020
Dhusamareb (HOL) - The President of Galmudug State Ahmed Abdi Kariye "Qoor Qoor" met with a handful of regional Presidents at his residence on ahead of Saturday's Federal Member State (FMS) meeting in Dhusamareb.
President Kariye met with the leaders of Hirshabelle, Southwest State and Puntland in separate closed-door sessions on Thursday and Friday.
It is not known what he discussed in the meetings, and his office declined to share any details with the media.
The flurry of face-to-face meetings comes ahead of a meeting with all regional leaders to discuss cooperation on the forthcoming elections. That meeting was initially supposed to start on Friday but has been postponed to Saturday.
The FMS Presidents opted to attend this consultative meeting in lieu of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting in Mogadishu that was called by Farmaajo in late June. President Farmaajo hoped that he could convene the NSC for the first time in two years, but those plans quickly evaporated after Puntland and Jubaland both announced they would not attend.
Elections will dominate the agenda as the FMS leaders try to come to a consensus on the way forward before meeting with the Federal Government.
Somalia's Prime Minister, on Thursday, has said that Somalia risks plunging into a political and constitutional crisis if the federal elections are postponed.
"The elections should take place on its time and [we have to] to refrain from any idea related to an extension because the extension could lead to political, security and constitutional crisis," the PM said.
The PM's comments counteract plans unveiled by Somalia's electoral commission in late June that effectively ruled out elections in 2020, saying that the only feasible options could be rolled out in nine to thirteen months at the earliest. The move was welcomed by the international community but rebuffed by opposition figures.
It is not yet known how the PM's comments will affect the FMS talks in Mogadishu, but the Federal Cabinet has given PM Khaire the greenlight to engage with regional leaders on behalf of the Federal Government.