Hiiraan Online
Monday February 6, 2017
Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed meets with outgoing Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and others ahead of the poll
Mogadishu (HOL) - Presidential candidates Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed have held an evening meeting on Monday, just days before Somalia elects its new president.
The eleventh-hour assembly happened at Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke's home in Mogadishu; present were strategists from both sides as well as the President of Puntland Abdiweli Gaas and former PM Abdi Farah Shirdon.
Although HOL cannot independently verify what was discussed during the meeting, it's likely that they were talking strategy and alliances ahead of the February 8 ballot.
On Wednesday, 329 members of Somalia's Upper and Lower House will choose between 23 candidates to elect the Somali president through a secret ballot. To win in the first round, a candidate must get 219 votes, a feat that is highly unlikely. Only 4 of the 23 candidates will go on to the 2nd round of voting. To be declared the winner, a candidate must win 2/3 of the total votes.
Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed are both billed as top contenders in the race.
The last minute meeting between the two candidates is the latest in an election season that has seen its fair share of unexpected twists.
