Hiiraan Online

The Security Council welcomed the political and security progress in Somalia during a mission to the capital, Mogadishu, on 19 May, where representatives of the 15-member body met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, regional leaders, Somali civil society and women's groups.

In a press statement following up the mission, they underlined the advances made since the transition ended in 2012, while underscoring the need to accelerate the country's peace- and state-building process, saying: “Holding a peaceful, transparent electoral process in 2016 will mark a historic step forward for all Somalis, and will be fundamental for the country's continued progress towards democracy and stability.”

In the context of Security Council resolution 2232 (2015), which laid out that there be no extended electoral process timelines in Somalia, the members welcomed the electoral mechanism in the decree issued by President Mohamud on 22 May 2016, noting that it should “enable necessary technical preparation and implementation without further delay.”

They also acknowledged that Somali leaders had worked hard to achieve agreement on the modalities of the electoral model and commended President Mohamud and the Government for ensuring that the electoral process timelines were upheld.

“The challenge now is to prepare and implement the elections and renew their call on all Somali stakeholders to work constructively to that end, without delay,” the members emphasized.

They commended the Government's commitment to reserve 30 per cent of seats in the upper and lower houses for women and emphasised the importance of adhering to the political road map to 2020 – in particular to reach one-person, one-vote elections by 2020.

The Security Council members further underlined their determination to play a constructive and active role in the months ahead.