Monday September 13, 2021
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced on Sunday that the Arab League has agreed to provide Somalia with financial and technical assistance for the upcoming elections.
Somalia directly appealed for $12 million of its projected $29 million budget for the electoral process.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud said that he secured the support during a meeting of Arab League FM's in Cairo this past weekend.
The statement from the foreign affairs ministry said that for the first time since 1991, Somalia would contribute significantly towards its own elections. The federal government estimates that it will raise $8.2 million from candidates running for both houses of parliament and the presidency.
Somalia has reportedly already secured $7.7 million from Western international donors through the UN.
Somalia can potentially raise $27.9 million if the Arab League contributes the $12 million requested by the foreign ministry. That scenario would leave Somalia just over $1 million shy of its total electoral budget.
The Foreign Minister confirmed he held a bilateral sideline meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah. Mohamed also spoke with the Qatari FM, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and the Omani FM Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi over the telephone.
Mohamud told his Arab League counterparts that the assistance would help Somalia complete elections before 2022 and send a clear signal to the Somali people and international partners that Arab countries are invested in Somalia's stability.