MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – President of Somalia’s Southwest State Abdiasis Laftagaren, a formidable ally of the country’s embattled leader Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, gave up bid to stand in an upcoming election for parliament speaker over concerns to lose his current post.
On Monday, Custodial Corps chief Mahad Abdirahman – Laftagaren’s father-in-law – was cleared to run for HOP172 parliament seat which the regional leader would grab before pursuing to win the election for speaker.
Earlier, reports emerged that Farmajo and his security advisor, Fahad Yasin had decided to stand Laftagaren at the upcoming election for parliament speaker in which he would be challenged by opposition candidates. He had earlier blocked Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, who had served twice as the speaker of the Somali parliament, from seeking a seat.
Local media reports suggested that Laftagaren’s decision followed fears about losing his power base. In his four-year reign, he has purged opposition allies in the region and swept into victory only vetted supporters of the incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. Dozens of well-known figures from the region were barred from contesting in parliamentary elections.
Mahad Abdirahman’s candidacy for HOP172 has ruled out speculations about Laftagaren’s attempts to run for a top parliament position. Villa Somalia has yet to choose other powerful figure to challenge opposition candidates in a forthcoming vote.
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