Monday May 17, 2021
The Council of Presidential Candidates - FILE PHOTO
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) has called on Somalia's Prime Minister to avoid the international jet-setting and begin the preparations for upcoming electoral consultative meetings.
"The Council urges PM Roble to show independence, stop unnecessary and wasteful foreign travel and immediately begin work towards a transparent electoral process agreeable to all and acceptable to the Somali people."
The PM has travelled to two countries in the past ten days. Roble was in Saudia Arabia on May 7, where he made stops in Jeddah and Mecca, where he performed Umrah. He returned on May 12.
On May 14, the PM travelled to Djibouti for President Ismail Omar Guelleh's inauguration ceremony. The PM's official Twitter handle confirms he landed in Mogadishu on Sunday.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Council added it was concerned that PM "succumbed to outside pressures leading him away from a position of neutrality."
The Council also blasted the federal government for withdrawing their support for an African Union-led mediation that they requested.
"The Council is also deeply troubled by the inconsistent response of the Federal Government of Somalia to the stagnant electoral process. Initially, the government requested the African Union (AU) to intervene in the crisis claiming a preference for "African Solutions to African problems" with the intention of circumventing the work of the international community representatives in Halane."
The statement goes on to say that the PM-led mediation effort scheduled for May 20 is being used as cover to avoid external mediation from the AU.
On Sunday, a technical committee convened in Mogadishu to prepare for the consultative summit.
The CPC was formed in November 2020 and is made up of 14 presidential hopefuls. Its members wield significant influence and include two former presidents and the former prime minister. The group is vocal about their opposition to President Farmajo's rule, frequently arguing that he cannot remain in power without a legal mandate.
Here is the press release in full:
