October 7, 2016 | Morning Headlines
South West State President: Upper-House candidate’s List Ready
06 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 130 Words
South West State President Sharif Sheikh Adan confirmed on this Thursday said that his state has finalised the list of Upper-house candidates and will submit to the Electoral Teamwithin two days. “We have made ready the list of Upper-House in our state. We are about to submit the list within two days time” Said, state President Sharif Speaking in press conference on Thursday. President Sharif also told reporters that his state observed the 30 percent quota for women “We observed the women’s quota; we included the list two female candidates,” added president Sharif. Yesterday, Somali Indirect Electoral Implementation Team has extended the date of upper House candidate’s list submission to two more days, which means that south west state could meet the new deadline, which is due OCT.7
Key Headlines
- South West State President: Upper-House candidate’s List Ready (Goobjoog News)
- UNDP Set To Manage Somali Election’s Money (Goobjoog News)
- Internal Rifts Undermine Puntland Democratization Process (Garowe Online)
- Former Government Official Says Corruption Replaced Gun In Politics (Radio Dalsan)
- Unknown Gunmen Kill Somali Elder Involved In Election (Xinhua)
- Mandera Al-Shabaab Attack Victim Speaks Of Horrific Killings (The Star)
- Meet The Former Refugee Who Is Now Somalia’s First Female Presidential Candidate(Broadly)
NATIONAL MEDIA
UNDP Set To Manage Somali Election’s Money
06 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 142 Words
In an exclusive interview with Goobjoog News, the Spokesperson of Somali Indirect Electoral Team Mohammed K’naan disclosed that the United Nations Development Programme in Somalia will manage the whole process of this year’s elections money. The announcement came just in two days after the Team officially opened intermediary bank account at Dahabshiil International Bank for Somali Parliamentary and presidential candidates. “We have opened the Bank accounts for candidates to deposit their candidacy registration fee, but at the end UNDP will manage all the money,” said K’naan. International Community pledged to pay 60 percent of elections funds while 40 remaining percent will be funded through the candidate’s registration fee and Federal Governments budget. Yesterday, Somali Indirect Electoral Team warned off a possible delay of elections and asked National Leadership Forum to accelerate the process of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions Upper house candidates.
Internal Rifts Undermine Puntland Democratization Process
06 October – Source: Garowe Online – 522 Words
Puntland President Abdiwali Mohamed Ali Gaas has officially launched Puntland Electoral roadmap on Wednesday, a process set to facilitate Puntland political transformation towards democracy. The event, which was held at Puntland Development and Research Center (PDRC), was attended by cabinet Ministers, Puntland parliamentarians, members of Puntland’s Electoral Commission and members of the civil society to discuss state’s democratization process. In his address to the participants, Mohamed Sofe, Vice Chairman of TPEC, has noted that a collective support and commitment from government, public and International community are much needed to ensure transition from clan-based form of governance to democracy in Puntland. But members of the civil society and politicians have expressed “concerns” over government commitment to timely implement the democratization roadmap, despite government pledges to deliver timely process. However, the process is believed to be undermined due to internal standoff between members of the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC) amid unwillingness of Puntland government and international community to avert the situation. Disagreement between Commission’s members and the Secretary, Mohamed Saed Kashawito, was noticed, as he was missing from the event, along with the absence of TPEC Chairman for medical treatment abroad. The Secretary of the Commission is usually appointed by an internal vetting process, but President Ali has opted to directly appoint all members of the commission in a presidential decree early this year. Garowe Online has learned that authority has been a major bone of contention between TPEC members and the Secretary. Speaking to the media, In Garowe city, Kashawito revealed the he wasn’t informed about the event held at PDRC, and said that the conflict was raised to Puntland President to swiftly intervene, and further explained that the continuous stalemate over mandates will hinder the process.
So far Puntland government has not responded to TPEC’s Secretary statements, amid concerns over government commitment to ensure timely process before next elections. Lack of government support to move forward with democratization plans is seen as the Electoral commission was officially launched last March, and still hasn’t taken any concrete actions, while Puntland Parliament reluctant to pass laws drafted by TPEC. The Electoral Commission is the second to be launched in Puntland, following a spearhead efforts by President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, to held first direct and local council elections across the region, but opposition led by then Abdiweli Mohamed Ali at that time, saw the democratization process is not in their interests, has led to the suspension of the council elections.
Following his election in January 2014, Puntland President has promised to prioritize democratization roadmap process and top his government agenda in its first year, but failed to honor his pledge till recently in March 2016. The delays to effectively implement the democratization process by Puntland government have prompted the International community to withdraw its fund support for the process. In two years Puntland will prepare for parliamentary elections and it seems that clan system will be used as model to elect parliamentarians who will vote for the President. Puntland state located in the northeastern region of Somalia was formed in 1998 as semi-autonomous region and enjoyed relative stability unlike the rest of the country.
Former Government Official Says Corruption Replaced Gun In Politics
06 October – Source: Radio Dalsan – 117 Words
Former Wadajir district of Mogadishu commissioner has praised the political development in Somalia for the past recent years. Mohamed Hassan Caddow aka Ahmed Daci who is contesting for Member of Parliament has told Radio Dalsan the about political maturity. He compared the current situation in Somalia with violence and chaos few years ago mainly in the capital Mogadishu.“Few years ago one used to get position in the political position via gun or violence but now is through cash,” he said. “There is big difference between now and then when it comes to being part of member of national assembly” he added. Former Wadajir district commissioner has expressed his interest in upcoming parliamentary elections in the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Unknown Gunmen Kill Somali Elder Involved In Election
06 October – Source: Xinhua- 130 Words
Unknown gunmen on Wednesday evening killed a prominent Somali traditional elder, who was among the 135 elders from major clans tasked with submitting a list of delegates to elect members of parliament in the upcoming elections, police said. Police said Ibrahim Qarah was killed by two armed men while on his way to his residence in Bardere town, Gedo region.No group has claimed responsibility for the murder of the elder. Police say they are investigating the motive behind it. The Al-Shabaab Islamist group, which stages frequent attacks in the country in its insurgency against the government, has vowed to disrupt the elections due to begin later this month.The parliamentary election will be held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 10. Lawmakers will then choose a president on Nov. 30.
Mandera Al-Shabaab Attack Victim Speaks Of Horrific Killings
06 October – Source: The Star – 196 Words
Al Shabaab terrorists chopped off the heads of the six people they killed in an attack in Mandera on Thursday, a resident has said. The teacher who lives near the attacked residential plot at Bulla public works said it was traumatising to watch. “The non-locals were gunned down mercilessly and their heads chopped off and smashed by grenades,” he told the Star. “I do not know how to say it better. I am psychologically bullied.” The terrorists raided the plot with about 33 non-locals at about 2am, as they slept. Al Shabaab confirmed it carried out the attack near the border with Somalia. “We are behind the Mandera attack in which we killed six Christians,” military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Musab told Reuters. He added they also hit a police vehicle using a roadside bomb. Mandera Governor Ali Roba condemned the incident in a post on Twitter. “We have suffered another sad attack,” Roba wrote, adding six people had been confirmed killed. “If not for the quick response by our security forces we would be talking of many more casualties,” he said. “From the nature and style of the attack, it would obviously be al Shabaab.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The civil war in Somalia broke out almost three decades ago, and people are quick to criticise the little amount of progress that has been made. Thanks to Somalia’s incredibly complex political system, four major clans rule all aspects of life, from businesses to whole districts. It is even codified in government as the 4.5 system (the 0.5 represents all the other minorities),”
Meet The Former Refugee Who Is Now Somalia’s First Female Presidential Candidate
06 October – Source:Broadly – 1319 Words
When I call Fadumo Dayib, she tells me she’s in the middle of a school run and driving her car. Straight away I notice her way with words; the way she pauses to choose the right word with each sentence. “I had a very interesting childhood,” she tells me, “one that was happy but was also very sad. It’s one that I don’t like to dwell on. But I think it’s what has made me who I am, it has actually defined who I am in a very positive way—not negatively.” This year, Dayib is running for president in Somalia. She is relatively young for a presidential candidate—Dayib is only 43—but she has already been through enough to last several lifetimes. After growing up in Kenya, she was one of the thousands of Somalis who were forcibly deported in the 80s from the country. Her family returned to their native land, but she fled to seek asylum in Finland when Somalia became engulfed by civil war. “The first night I came to this country [and stayed] in a motel in the center of Helsinki,” she says. “I knew then and then that I was given a second chance in life.”
Dayib, she says, found life in a peaceful country liberating. After settling in to Finland, Dayib immersed herself in education and took it “very, very seriously.” She studied for two Master’s degrees, including one in public administration from Harvard after she won a fellowship to the Ivy League school. In 2005, Dayib went to Somalia with the UN and set up the first clinic that aimed to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, and then carried on her humanitarian efforts to Fiji, Ghana, and Liberia. Most young Somalis who are part of the diaspora yearn to grow a connection with our homeland. Our parents have told us of their distressing stories of war and their journeys of escape; they make us realise how easy we have it. I ask Dayib what made her want to return home to run for the presidency, especially since she has lived in Finland for the last 26 years. She tells me of a particular story that hit home when she was watching the news while in hospital in Helsinki with her second child. “There was a Somali mother in the national news who had walked for three kilometers,” Dayib says, “and when she reached the nearest centre and she got the baby down, it was dead.”A sense of guilt engulfed her. She felt she “had to do something” for her country—especially of her background as a healthcare practitioner.