Hiiraan Online
Monday, January 25, 2016
President of Puntland state of Somalia at Aden Abdulle International Airport
MOGADISHU (HOL) – One week after Somali government and regional leaders failed to agree on the model of election the country would hold this year, Somalia’s regional leaders started arriving in
Mogadishu Sunday to attend the third round of talks to narrow the gap.
The latest talks in Kismayo town resulted in no breakthrough with Somali president and his delegation walked out of the meeting and flown to Mogadishu, heaping worries that such misunderstanding would interrupt election plans.
Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Puntland president and Ahmed Madobe, Jubbaland’s president have arrived in Mogadishu with Galmudug and Southwestern State leaders are expected to also fly to Mogadishu on Monday.
Somalia’s government has proposed a presidential election in 2016; however, it dismissed the likelihood of holding popular elections due to security challenges.
Discussing about the election model, some of the country’s stakeholders suggested selections of the country’s parliament based on the 18 regions while others wanted making selections in line with
federal states, significant sticking points that attendants said complicated the talks.
No date has been set for the next round of talks to settle on the type of the election the country would hold.
Puntland and Jubbaland leaders have earlier recommended holding the upcoming elections, considering constituencies while leaders from Galmudug and South-western states dismissed the idea and instead called for 4.5 formula of election.
According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government would come to an end in August and September 2016,
respectively.
The country still faces security challenges as the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group continues to carry out violent attacks across Somalia by carrying out guerrilla attacks including suicide attacks and
assassinations.