Qoorqoor, Roble seek membership in Somalia president’s UPD Party 

Somalia

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Former Prime Minister of Somalia Mohamed Hussein Roble and the incumbent leader of Galmudug state Ahmed Qoorqoor have both formally requested to join the Union of Peace and Development (UPD) party, the political movement headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Caasimada Online news website reported on Saturday. 

The party is poised to deliberate in the coming days on whether to approve the requests and expand its ranks with influential new politicians, despite already being saturated with formidable figures vying for dominance within President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration. 

The man facing the greatest challenge of the duo is Qoorqoor, who lacks any notable support among the party’s members, making the UPD’s decision a crucial test of whether it is willing to embrace individuals once seen as adversaries to its political future. 

Qoorqoor, whose political rise began with his installation as Galmudug President by former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo during the UPD’s opposition tenure, vehemently backed his former ally and exerted every effort to facilitate his return to power in 2022 election, a move that alienated key members of his own clan, who hold significant influence within the party. 

Among the influential UPD members from Qoorqoor’s clan—Abshir Bukhari, Sabir Shuriye, and Abdirahman Odowa—who harbor longstanding rivalries and competing interests with him, there is a strong likelihood that they will reject his request to join the party. 

While the political party to which Qoorqoor currently belongs remains unclear, he is undeniably recognized as a pivotal ally of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, chiefly remembered for his contentious role in the selection of federal MPs from his region, a process that significantly benefited his former ally. 

Former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, meanwhile, is believed to have significant support within the party, owing to his pivotal role in opposing former President Farmajo when the UPD was in a vulnerable and disempowered position, a struggle in which he played a key part in elevating them to the power they now wield; as such, he is expected to face little resistance from party members in his bid to join. 

This week, the Somali parliament enacted a law limiting the country to only three political parties, compelling all political figures to align with one of the three parties, a development that likely spurred the two politicians to promptly seek membership in the Union of Peace and Development (UPD), the ruling party of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which, while predominantly composed of a single clan, stands as the most powerful in terms of cadre, financial strength, and organizational maturity. 

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