Monday January 11, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - President Mohamed Farmaajo has bowed to pressure and acceded to opposition demands to strike out contested names from the federal elections committee.
Three Federal Member States leaders allied to Farmaajo tabled a proposal during a meeting with opposition chiefs during a meeting at a Mogadishu hotel Sunday night.
Sources close to the talks told HOL the presidents of HirShabelle, Galmudug and South West presented the offer which was understandably agreed to with Farmaajo this past week.
Farmaajo has in the last one week held closed door talks with Lafta-Gareen (South West), Ahmed Qoor-qoor of Galmudug and HirShabelle’s Ali Gudlaawe.The three presidents also said they will take up the task of negotiating with their fellow regional presidents from Puntland and Jubbaland to iron out standing thorny issues. Lafta- Gareen was reportedly tasked by Villa Somalia to lead the talks.
The Indirect talks are the first in close to three months between Villa Somalia and the opposition amid fears of political crisis as the country stares at lapsed Constitutional timelines.
Sources said Farmaajo has come under heavy international pressure to open talks with the opposition especially after PM Roble’s announcement Thursday elections will go ahead without the input of the opposition.
Both Puntland and Jubbaland are yet to form their respective elections committees demanding the withdrawal of federal troops from Gedo region as a precondition.
Senate elections which were postponed for the third time late December were slated for January 7 to 14 but the exercise has not yet commenced.