Thursday June 1, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre chaired the weekly cabinet meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday, urging cabinet ministers to swiftly implement the political agreements and decisions reached during the recently concluded National Consultative Meeting in the capital.
Prime Minister Barre emphasized that implementing the agreement on the electoral process presents a significant opportunity for the Somali people to determine their destinies. He stated, "As a government, we have a responsibility to give the people the opportunity to elect their leaders."
Furthermore, Prime Minister Barre reiterated the government's commitment to commence the second phase of the anti-Al-Shabaab operation in the country. He instructed ministers to take a proactive role by visiting the battlefields and encouraging the troops.
"We should not only be a new political revolution, but also a security revolution that restores peace to this country settles debts process, finalizes the constitution," declared the prime minister.
The political leaders of Somalia recently reached an agreement to reshape the country's political system following four days of meetings in Mogadishu.
The National Consultative Council, comprised of federal leaders, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, along with four regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu, agreed to introduce direct elections as early as next year. They also endorsed unifying the election schedules and establishing a presidential system for the country.
They also agreed that only two political parties would compete for power in the country. The current political parties law does not limit the number of political parties.
However, the new structure of Somalia's elections has faced opposition from some politicians, including former government leaders, who argue that this agreement violates the country's constitution and disrupts the power-sharing arrangements in Somalia. Puntland, one of the federal member states, has also opposed the plan. Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni did not attend the last two National Consultative Meetings in Mogadishu and Baidoa.