November 25, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
FIEIT And IEDRM Planning Serious Actions Against Electoral Fraud
25 November- Source: Garowe Online – 415 Words
Amid increased allegations of electoral fraud in the ongoing Lower House elections in the regional states, Somalia’s electoral committee and disputes resolution body have announced they will launch investigations into the ongoing process.
Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation team (FIEIT) and Independent Electoral Disputes Resolution Mechanism (IEDRM) have jointly released statement on Thursday, saying that about 40% of the process was completed for the Lower House elections but were concerned by allegations of malpractices in the elections held in various regions in the country.“Allegations include the harassment and intimidation of some members of the electoral management bodies and candidates, the manipulation of delegate and candidate lists, misuse of government resources (including use of members of security forces) to favor some parliamentary candidates over others and use of private security/financial resources to intimidate and compromise some candidates and delegates,” read the statement.
They added that they will jointly cooperate to investigate the process and will resort to nullify the ballot results for seats that have been rigged. “When investigations confirm that serious malpractices have occurred, the FIEIT and the IEDRM will take appropriate and decisive actions. Such actions can and will include nullification of the election results and disqualification of candidates who have committed the malpractices.”
FIEIT and IEDRM have also expressed concerns for not adhering to the reserved 30-percent quota for women candidates in the Lower House elections and called clans to abide by the electoral rules in respect to women participation in the process.However, according to an International diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “four elected seats in the Lower House election of Galmudug state are in progress of nullification. The seats that have been won by Mahad Salad, Minister for Presidency, Abdulkadir Gaafow, brother of the National Intelligence Chief Gen. Abdulahi Gaafow, Mustafa Dhuhulow, former Federal Minister and Sadiq Abdikarim, Presidential aide.” Most of the candidates that are considered for disqualification are close allies to President Hassan Shaikh Mahamud.
On the other hand, Somalia’s international partners have also released statement welcoming the decisions of FIEIT and IEDRM to nullify election results that have been rigged and disqualify candidates who have engaged in election malpractices. Experts have previously noted that the ongoing parliamentary elections are marred with corruption and fraud due to the continuous interference by leaders of the Somali government and regional states, some of whom are presidential contenders and aiming to favor their presidential campaigns in the forthcoming Somali election.
Key Headlines
- FIEIT And IEDRM Planning Serious Actions Against Electoral Fraud (Garowe Online)
- Conflict Resumes On The Outskirts Of Beledweyne (Hiiraan Online)
- Puntland President Is Set To Visit China (Garowe Online)
- Jubbaland State Concludes Final Phase Of Lower House Elections (AMISOM)
- Women Candidates Triumph On The Seventh Day Of Voting As Balloting Enters Last Leg In South West State (AMISOM)
- Hennepin County Gallery To Feature Somali Culture (Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Conflict Resumes On The Outskirts Of Beledweyne
25 November – Source: Hiiraan Online – 138 Words
Barely two days after clan elders from warring clan militias in Baali area, 6 km west of Beledweyne, signed a ceasefire agreement, violence re-erupted. The sound of heavy gunfire could be heard on Friday Morning coming from the western direction of Beledweyne.Several people who sustained bullet injuries were brought to Beledweyne’s main hospital. HirShabelle President Ali Abdullahi Osoble called on the warring sides to immediately halt the conflict.
Clan elders and intellectuals from the rival sides recently signed a ceasefire agreement in Beledweyne, witnessed by Hiiraan regional administration officials, senior military officials from Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM.Local residents have expressed concern over further spread of violence to parts of Beledweyne, particularly Howlwadaag neighborhood inhabited by both rival clans. AMISOM military officials however warned the warring sides to disrupt the peace of Hiiraan’s administrative capital.
Puntland President Is Set To Visit China
25 November – Source: Garowe Online – 195 Words
The President of northeastern region of Puntland, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali “Gaas” is expected to travel to China following his brief visit to Addis Ababa on Friday, Garowe Online reports.President Ali along with Presidential aide, Puntland Commerce Minister, State Minister of Fisheries and Deputy Director of Puntland Petroleum Agency will travel to Shanghai city to hold meetings with Fishing and oil companies, according to close sources. The source noted that previous talks between China-based companies and President Ali took place in Addis Ababa during his past trips to Ethiopia. President Ali was reported to have pressed the companies to invest and build a seaport in Gar’ad coastal village off the Indian Ocean and located in Mudug region.
It’s noteworthy, that in his speech in the 38th Parliamentary sessions, Ali opted not to disclose information in regard to talks between Puntland government and international companies willing to invest in the state, whereas Puntland Parliament criticized his frequent foreign trips and described it “fruitless” for causing burden to the state budget.
Puntland is witnessing worsening drought and humanitarian situation amid lack of government plans to provide immediate relief response to the nomadic communities in the rural areas.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Jubbaland State Concludes Final Phase Of Lower House Elections
24 November – Source: AMISOM- 357 Words
Jubbaland state yesterday concluded the final phase of Lower House elections. All the 43 seats allocated to it in lower chamber of the federal parliament have been filled. Elections for the last seat was balloted yesterday and won by Ibrahim Mohamed Hussein from Darood – Bartire clan. The MP-elect who got 47 votes, promised to support programmes for women’s empowerment in his state.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Somalia Ms. Veronique Lorenzo and Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam ‘Madobe’, witnessed the election for the sole seat.“These elections in Jubbaland have taken place in secure circumstances thanks to the work of local security forces and AMISOM and the voting has been orderly,” SRSG Keating told journalists at the close of the elections.“This is really representative of the community and this is what we want; we want this because we want reconciliation in Somalia. If we have all other leaders elected like the one we saw today, reconciliation will be possible,” SRCC Ambassador Madeira said, echoing Keating’s sentiments.
Earlier, President Madobe held a closed door meeting with Mr. Keating, Ambassador Madeira and their EU counterpart at the presidential villa, where discussions focused on humanitarian assistance to returnees and military operations to liberate the remaining Al Shabaab strongholds in the Lower and Middle Jubba regions.“We discussed the next phase of the electoral process and military operations along the Jubba corridor,” President Madobe disclosed.
Women Candidates Triumph On The Seventh Day Of Voting As Balloting Enters Last Leg In South West State
25 November – Source: AMISOM – 361 Words
Four women were yesterday elected to the House of the People, in the seventh day of elections held in Baidoa, the administrative capital of Southwest state. Yesterday’s election brings to nine, the number of women MPs-elect from Southwest state in the Lower House of the federal parliament.Among the female MPs-elect is a newcomer in politics, 27-year old Safia Hassan Noor, from Jiido clan. She scored 46 votes against her opponent Maryan Mohamed Adan. “I’m very happy to have been elected today as a member of parliament. I hope to use my position to contribute to development of my community,” MP-elect Safia said, shortly after being declared the winning candidate.
Another MP-elect, Amina Sheikh Osman defeated 2 male opponents and a female contestant to clinch the seat, after getting 39 votes. Her closest opponent Mustaf Ahmed Lidow got only 9 votes. An elated Amina said it was the first time in 20 years that her clan had voted a woman as Member of Parliament. “I would like to thank my clan for the choice they made today,” Amina said. Another female MP-elect Amina Hassan Ali got 49 votes, defeating her sole male opponent. Another woman MP-elect who triumphed at the ballot is Nadiifo Adan Isak, who got 48 votes, defeating her sole opponent Halima Hassan Mohamed.
Ambassador Salad Ali Atosh, a member of Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT), described today’s elections of four women as a political game-changer. “The great news is the four female MPs who got elected today; this has given us a renewed drive in ensuring the set quota is accomplished,” Ambassador Salad Ali said. “Our teams (SIEIT, FIEIT and IERDM) are working tirelessly and late into the night to make sure we are on track in terms of our delivery.”
He commended South West state for working long hours to manage the heavy workload, which includes registering delegates from as afar as Lower Shabelle region.
South West state has to date filled 49 seats out of an allocation of 69 seats in the Lower House of the federal parliament. The SIEIT hopes that the remaining 20 seats will be filled within the next one week.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The museum has more than 700 items in its collection and fewer than 300 on display. Another 114 artifacts are on their way from Somalia to the United States to be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. Meanwhile, says Ali, the museum is receiving a growing number of requests to lend parts of its collection,”
Hennepin County Gallery To Feature Somali Culture
25 November – Source: Star Tribune – 522 Words
Parts of the Somali Museum of Minnesota’s exhibits have crisscrossed the state and traveled to six states and Canadian provinces.Now, some of the museum’s art and traditional nomadic artifacts will make a foray closer to home — as the centerpiece of a two-month celebration of Somali culture at the Hennepin County Government Center.In recent years, the center’s gallery has made a push to reflect the county’s diverse communities. Teaming up with the Somali Museum and its resident dance troupe was a natural extension of these efforts, says Kirstin Wiegmann of Forecast Public Art, a St. Paul nonprofit that helps arrange exhibits at the gallery.“Often, the stories showcased in the news do not talk about the richness of culture and the contributions Somali-Americans make in our shared space,” Wiegmann said. “This exhibition, which features utilitarian artifacts — the items we use in our day-to-day lives — allows us to imagine the things that bring us together.”
In recent years, the gallery has had an installation addressing veteran suicide, a display of Russian traditional dress and photos by teens grappling with homelessness and mental illness mentored by Chinese-American photographer Wing Young Huie. Amid a heightened debate about immigration and refugee resettlement, organizers wanted to offer a glimpse into the culture of local Somalis. They reached out to the Minneapolis museum.Items from its collection have been on display at two Minneapolis libraries, on the University of Minnesota campus and in the Faribault Cultural Center. After a Somali restaurant was firebombed in Grand Forks last year, three vans with museum artifacts and members of its youth dance troupe set off for the North Dakota city.“We explained to the community there about Somali culture, and that we are a peaceful culture,” said museum founder Osman Ali. “A kind of peace can be created between the communities once they get to know each other.”
TOP TWEETS
@Daudoo:JUST IN: Fierce clashes between #Uganda troops &#AlShabaab fighters erupt near BulaMarer town in #Somalia‘s Lower Shabelle region – Witness
@Yassinjuma:#Somalia media reporting arrival of South Sudan rebel leader @Drriekmachar in #Mogadishu accompanied by family
@Puntland_State:Dr. Badal W. Kariye met U.S. #Ambassador to#Somalia H.E. Stephen Schwartz, and they discussed how to rebuild #Somalia for good #governance
@omabha:Somalia: Jubbaland state completes voting for Lower House seats – Reliefweb http://dlvr.it/Ml245z #Somalia
@omabha :Protest, anxiety in Dadaab as refugees troop back to Somalia – Reliefweb http://dlvr.it/Ml23zr #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mohamed Omar Arteh meets the UN Deputy Special Representative, Peter de Clercq.
Photo: @UNdeClercq