Thursday October 19, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) – Several prominent politicians, including the former President and Prime Ministers, have firmly reiterated their opposition to the political decision made by the National Consultative Council (NCC) to reshape the country's political system.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed the country's political system after Friday prayers at a mosque in the Presidential palace in Mogadishu. The President emphasized his commitment to implement the agreement after it received approval from the Parliament. This led the politicians to reject the political deal once again.
In a statement released on Thursday, the politicians stated that it would only be acceptable to lead the country with consensus moves. The amendment of the Constitution should involve the entire Somali community through a constitutional process.
"We are warning against endangering the power-sharing system of the Somali communities and urge caution against anything that could cast doubt on power-sharing and cause delays in the country. The President does not have the constitutional authority to decide how many parties the country will have or the type of government the country will adopt."
The former government leaders emphasized that the President cannot unilaterally make decisions regarding implementing the country's elections. Such decisions must involve consultation with all political stakeholders and the various sectors of society in accordance with the country's laws.
"We call on President Hassan Sheikh Mahamoud not to attempt to extend the term period at the federal and regional level and to avoid leading the country down a dark path from which Allah has saved us. There can be no circumstances that would force the President to declare illegality or act against the country's Constitution."
In May of last year, the National Consultative Council (NCC), which includes federal leaders such as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, 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 and unify the election schedules. They also endorsed the establishment of a presidential system for the country.
Local council elections are set to take place on June 30 of next year, followed by regional parliamentary and regional leadership elections on November 30 of the same year. The leaders had agreed that only two political parties would compete for power in the country. It's worth noting that the current political parties law does not limit the number of political parties.
However, the NCC's agreement is expected to be submitted to the Parliament for approval in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Prof. Mohammed Sheikh Osman Jawari, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, Hassan Ali Khayre, Ridwaan Khersi Mohammed, Dr. Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed, Hon. Abdulqadir Cosoble Ali, and Dr. Abdinasir Abdulle Mohamed are urging the Somali Parliament to fulfill its mandated and elected responsibilities and to respect the Constitution, the laws of the country, and the bylaws of the Parliament.