Thursday December 5, 2019
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Former President Hassan Sheikh has warned against any attempts to delay the 2020 elections noting there were no reasons not to hold the elections in time.
Noting that elections have been held previously under difficult circumstances, the former head of state said any delays could potentially keep parliament in place for indefinite time.
“There are politicians and experts arguing that there could be extension of the term of parliament if some challenges which could not allow the elections to take place happen,” president Mohamud said in a Facebook post.
Noting that an extension of parliament can only be done for six months, the former president said there is a likelihood parliament could extend indefinitely. He noted elections took place in 1964, 2012 and 2016 despite challenges including state of war and Al-Shabaab insurgency.The Elections Bill provides for a delay of elections in case of natural disasters.
The Lower House started debate on the Bill Wednesday following the submission of the report by the Parliamentary ad-hoc committee which had sought public input on the electoral model.
The committee recommended the First Past the Post (FPTP) model where the candidate with the highest number of votes is declared winner.