Ex-PM Omar Abdirashid Holds Secret Talks with Farmajo As Somalia Election Crisis Deepens

Omar Abdirashid, Farmajo

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid held secret talks with the current acting President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo at the presidential palace on Sunday, weeks after returning to the country to join opposition conference on elections.

The former Premier earlier lambasted the government for its failure to hold credible polls and warned that “fraudulent” votes held by some of the country’s states could reverse what the war-torn Horn of Africa nation has achieved over the years, leading to another civil war.

His silence after the secret meeting with President Farmajo has raised questions on whether he is planning take sides with Villa Somalia in a bitter standoff over election-rigging. He had earlier made public the details and images of a meeting with the Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble a week earlier.

In an earlier tweet, Omar said regional presidents “emerged from the August agreement with no commitment to fair elections”, noting that similar actions were “the root causes of our Civil War”.

Reports of the meeting come amid a dispute between chair of the Council of Presidential Candidates Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and other opposition figures. Sharif is believed to favor Farmajo’s plans over those of his allies. He has strongly opposed opposition efforts to form “High Council of State” and a parallel government to lead the country to free and fair elections during a recent summit.

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