Dispute Erupts Between Members of Somalia’s Electoral Board

Somalia

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A new dispute has erupted between members of Somalia’s electoral board over a new election procedure recently announced by senior leaders of the commission, in what many fear may endanger the upcoming elections, just months after the country’s leaders agreed to end months-long stalemate and hold free and fair vote.

The chairman of the Somali federal electoral board said the new dispute has come due to meddling from some of the country’s regional states as they force their representatives in the committee to reject the recently issued polls procedure, which some of the electoral board leaders say is the final release and will not be revised again.

There is a pressure from regional states on the electoral committees they had named [and] that is a violation against the independence of the electoral board and credibility of the election,” Mohamed Irro, the chairman of Somalia’s federal electoral board said.

The regional states had named the committee, and now it is an independent committee and it is important that everything ends in all-agreeable manner.”

Puntland and Jubaland regional states are mounting pressure on their representatives in the electoral commission to reject the new polls procedure, according to Caasimada Online news website.

It comes amid an unresolved dispute over the selection of an electoral team is that designed to manage the election of MPs representing the break-away state of Somaliland. Tensions have also been running over Senate votes held by some of the country’s regional states, which sparked transparency fears.

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