September 23, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somali Electoral Body Warns Of Cash Crunch Signalling Poll Delays
23 September – Source : Goobjoog News – 353 Words
Elections for the Lower House scheduled for Saturday may be delayed as the Federal and State poll bodies meet Friday to hammer out the final details of the elections amid concerns of financial deficits. In a statement released on Thursday, the Federal Indirect Elections Implementation Team, FIEIT said it had not finished some tasks set out in its work plan owing to what it said are financial challenges and failure by elders to finish up the lists of delegates.
The poll body added that security and political concerns remain major challenges necessitating the Friday meeting as the 22 member team burns the midnight oil to deliver results in what is Somalia’s most inclusive post conflict polls so far. “To move forward and overcome these challenges, the FIEIT will meet with the chairpersons of the state level electoral implementation teams in Mogadishu Friday,” the team said.The team lead by Omar Abdulle also warned the elders, who are responsible for appointing delegates for the Lower House were yet to submit the final lists. Each member of the House of the People (Lower House) will be elected by 51 delegates who are distributed among the various clans under the 4.5 clan based system.
It is not however clear if the funds shortage emanates from the Federal Government’s purse or that of the international community. The International Community is expected to foot 60% of the expenditure while Somalia is to clear the rest. The National Leadership Forum last week raised concerns over the funding issue, a development which could further stock fears about a possible electoral delays.
Key Headlines
- Somali Electoral Body Warns Of Cash Crunch Signalling Poll Delays (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Federal Parliament Speakers Visits Baidoa (Goobjoog News)
- Former President Jets Back To Reclaim Villa Somalia After Four Years In The Cold (Radio Dalsan)
- Global Community Urges Against Poll Delay Commends Somali Development Blueprint (Goobjoog)
- Kenya Calls For More Funding To Return Somali Refugees From Dadaab (Reuters)
- At UN debate Kenyan Vice-President implores Security Council to take Somalia situation ‘seriously’ (UN News Centre)
- Somalia: The Impasse Of 2016 Electoral Process Drags On (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Federal Parliament Speaker Visits Baidoa
22 September – Source : Goobjoog News – 116 Words
Federal Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari on Thursday went to Baidoa the capital of South West state even as sources suggested that he could be defending his seat as Speaker of the next parliament.The speaker who was accompanied by some Members of Parliament did not address the media at the airport but proceeded to hold talks with elders and state officials concerning the upcoming elections. A close source hinted to Goobjoog News the first term speaker could be seeking a re-election for the seat and his visit was aimed at securing support from his clan members.Candidates for both the Upper and Lower Houses have been making way to Baidoa ahead of elections which are expected to start this Saturday.
Former President Jets Back To Reclaim Villa Somalia After Four Years In The Cold
22 September – Source : Radio Dalsan – 144 Words
Former Somali Transitional Government President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has arrived back in the country after four years. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who served his country as President between 2009-20012 was welcomed at Mogadishu International Airport by huge crowd of supporters including Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament in President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud government.
Sharif who left the country in 2012 after he was defeated in the Presidential elections by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to launch his campaign in Mogadishu in the coming days. The media was barred from the airport by an official letter from aviation authorities released to the press on Wednesday night.He is expected to lock horns with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other key Villa Somalia aspirants on October as his campaign is marred by ongoing ICJ case between Somalia and Kenya on the maritime border dispute.
Global Community Urges Against Poll Delay, Commends Somali Development Blueprint
23 September – Source : Goobjoog News – 317 Words
International partners for Somalia have urged the elections to be held within set timelines and in a transparent and peaceful way. In a joint communique following a high level meeting for Somalia in the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly, the partners which include more than ten countries and international organisations said the upcoming polls was a turning point for Somalia.“The international community highlights the importance of the upcoming electoral process, as a crucial stepping stone towards one person one vote elections in 2020. We reiterate the need to keep to the timeline and for a peaceful, credible and transparent process, in a climate of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the partners said.
The comments follow announcements by the Federal electoral body, FIEIT Wednesday indicating it may not be able to beat the set deadlines citing funding, security and finalization of the delegate’s lists as key obstacles. The FIEIT said it would meet Friday with the state level electoral body, SIEIT to review the electoral timelines. The election for the Lower House is slated for September 24. The partners also called on Somali leaders to commit to the code of conduct which the National Leadership Forum leaders signed this month and noted all presidential and parliamentary candidates must sign.
The partners lauded the government’s completion of the National Development Plan observing the blueprint was a ‘testament to Somali resolve and commitment’. “As the National Development Plan is finalised and implemented, we underline the need for prioritisation, engagement with the private sector, youth employment and the efficient allocation of resources to ensure successful delivery of results for the Somali people including finding durable solutions for internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees,” the statement read in part.They further called for the sustained reform of the financial institutions to ensure access to predictable development finance through International Financial Institutions to achieve Somalia’s poverty reduction goals.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Calls For More Funding To Return Somali Refugees From Dadaab
22 September – Source : Reuters – 500 Words
Kenya has called at the United Nations General Assembly for more funding for its plan to repatriate more than 300,000 Somali refugees living in a vast camp on its border, citing world leaders’ commitment to burden-sharing. In May, Kenya announced its plans to close the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab, saying it had been infiltrated by terrorist cells. Since then, many refugees have left the camp, with officials saying their departures are voluntary.
However, rights organizations have alleged that Kenya has harassed Somali refugees to return home when it is not safe to do so. “Kenya has hosted among the largest number of refugees in the world in the last three decades and the burden our country has continued to endure remains disproportionate to support received,” Kenya’s foreign minister Amina Mohamed said in a statement.”We hoped that the burden we have been shouldering in hosting huge numbers of refugees would be lifted through a coordinated strategy for the orderly and humane return and resettlement of refugees from the camps in Kenya.”
In May, Kenya was hosting around 600,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including almost 350,000 in Dadaab. Speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting, Mohamed said the repatriation of refugees was being carried out humanely and in line with international obligations. She said refugees (in Kenya) “have been living in crowded, insecure and squalid conditions that are simply unacceptable”.
At UN debate, Kenyan Vice-President implores Security Council to take Somalia situation ‘seriously’
22 September – Source : UN News Centre – 507 Words
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, the Vice-President of Kenya today implored the UN Security Council to align the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to the threat levels in that neighbouring country, and to provide adequate, predictable funding and other support for the Mission. “For the last two and half decades, the region has been seized with the situation in Somalia,” Vice-President William Ruto said. “Throughout this time, Kenya has stood with Somalia, provided a safe haven for refugees, joined peacekeeping missions, and invested resources in combating Al-Shabaab and its affiliates.”
This solidarity has helped to substantially weaken the Al-Shabaab militant group, liberated large swathes of land in Somalia and provided the space for its Government to begin the journey of rehabilitation and reconstruction, he explained. On its part, Kenya has committed to $10 million in new funds to support the safe, dignified and orderly repatriation of the more than 400,000 Somali refugees in Kenya. “Sadly, the efforts of the region and Somalia’s neighbours have not been matched by the international community,” he stated.Instead of supporting regional activities, the European Union this year cut support for AMISOM by 20 per cent. Despite repeated appeals, the UN Security Council has failed to provide adequate, predictable funding, as well as force multipliers for AMISOM.
“I once again implore members of the Security Council to take this matter seriously and align the mandate of AMISOM to the threat levels in Somalia on land, air and sea,” he said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The persistent contentious issues in the electoral process include the Upper House of the federal parliament for different reasons, the 30% share of the women in the federal parliament seats, the formation of Hiiran and Middle Shabele State, the Electoral Dispute Resolution Mechanism (EDRM), the integrity and impartiality of the Federal and State Indirect Implementation Teams (FIEIT, SIEIT), and the funding of the electoral process. The partisan perception of the electoral teams is deep and widespread,”
Somalia: The Impasse Of 2016 Electoral Process Drags On
22 September – Source : Hiiraan Online – 1148 Words
The precarious security and political situation in Somalia is rapidly degenerating due to the vacuum created by the ending of the term in office of the current leaders of the federal government – the president, the federal parliament, and the Council of Ministers – and to the impasse of the 2016 electoral process. The national and local institutions of the federal government are unable to manage responsibly and independently their institutional duties in accordance with the provisional constitution during the political transition.
For example, articles 115, 118, and 127 of the provisional constitution prohibit the participation of the security forces and civil servants in political parties and campaigns, but the president of the federal government uses civil servants and security forces, national TV, radio, and other public assets for the launch and promotion of his presidential campaign for reelection. This blatant disregard to the rule of law promotes abuse of power and corruption with no fear for accountability.
Accusations about plundering of public resources, organized criminals, and social divisions are rife and as a result public confidence in the leadership of the federal government plummeted. Current leaders are not concerned to dispel such widespread allegations of abuses and political violence with concrete actions. This fits the traits of predatory leadership.
The clear 4-year office term for the federal parliament and president provided under articles 60 and 91 of the provisional constitution respectively did not compel the officeholders to prepare the mandated election system for legitimate political competition years before end of their terms. Additionally, the late admission in 2015 for the impossibility of one person and one vote election for the federal parliament taking place in 2016 did not induce the imperative corollary to offer immediately a well thought, well-crafted alternative electoral model. Therefore, the byzantine indirect 2016 electoral process for parliamentary and presidential election is corroding the hopes for
The Somali National Leadership Forum (NLF) of 8 members issued multiple communiqués prescribing disjoined and sometime changed electoral rules. For the lack of preliminary democratic political discussions about the framework of the electoral process and each communiqué has left many issues unresolved or created new problems to the point that the members of NLF publicly disagreed on the last two communiqués.