Wednesday February 26, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - The recently adopted Elections Law fails the test of a fair and inclusive elections, the UN and other partners in Somalia have said calling for urgent review.
A joint statement from the partners Tuesday noted the law assented to by President Mohamed Farmaajo last week failed to address contentious issues such as women representation, boundaries delineation and the question of Somaliland.
“These (sections of law which need clarification) include the identification of constituencies and allocation of seats to the constituencies, identifying which seats in Parliament will be reserved for women to ensure a minimum 30 per cent representation, modalities for electing the seats allocated for Somalilanders, and the representation of residents of the Benadir region in the Parliament,” the statement read in part.
During the 2016 Enhanced Legitimacy Model which expanded the electoral college from the 135 elders in 2012 to 14,025 delegates, the Federal Government, Federal Member States and other stakeholders struck a deal which ensured 30% quota for women to the Federal Parliament. The deal was not however anchored in law.
Critical also in the upcoming elections which is touted to be based on a one-person-one-vote, is the mapping out of constituencies and distribution of seats; a matter not addressed by the current law.
The question of Banaadir is also unresolved. The region’s governor Omar Filish said last week it was time the region which comprises of about 3 million residents be equally represented in parliament just like other Federal Member States.
In their statement Tuesday, the international community called on the government, the polls body NIEC and other stakeholders to consult and ‘urgently’ resolve the contentious issues in the law.
They also called for a review of the Political Parties Act to streamline the inclusion and participation of political parties in the elections.