Somalia’s Opposition Warns of State Collapse as Election Manipulation Allegations Mount

Somalia opposition leaders

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The Council of Presidential Candidates, a conglomerate of opposition parties in Somalia warned on Thursday of “colossal collapse” of state as election manipulation allegations mount.

Opposition leaders gathered for a meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday, days after parliamentary polls were resumed and allegations that the government of president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and allied administrations were rigging the votes in favor of their allies overshadowed the fragile process.

We want to tell the Somali public and the rest of the world that we firmly believe the ongoing process could lead to a colossal collapse [of state] in Somalia and we do not want that to happen while we are alive and have the potential to do something,” Dahir Mohamud Gele, a spokesman for the Council of Presidential Candidates told a press conference in Mogadishu.

It comes hours after the country’s acting intelligence chief Yasin Farey was elected to parliament, in a race that his opponents had refused to participate, alleging that soldiers had been picked as delegates to vote.

Voting irregularities have been reported in a number of other venues over the past days. Some candidates vying for parliamentary seats, including the former speaker of parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari have been refused to register by pro-government regional states.

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