US Pushes Somalia to Hold Elections Immediately

Somalia

WASHINGTON (Somaliguardian) – The United States has called on Somalia on Friday to hold elections immediately and end a dispute that it says is threatening the war-torn nation.

A dispute over elections worsened after president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s term expired on February 8 and he continued to serve without either a mandate extension or an agreement on polls schedule despite opposition calls for him to step down, piling pressure on Qatar-backed leader to relinquish power.

A coalition of opposition candidates and regional states including Puntland and Juband now consider the president to be illegitimate.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the electoral impasse in Somalia, which is creating political uncertainty that threatens security, stability, and development in the country,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

“We call on Somalia’s federal and member state leaders to set aside narrow political objectives, uphold their responsibilities to the people of Somalia, and agree to immediately hold transparent and inclusive elections.”

The US statement has come days after the United Nations Security Council urged Mogadishu to hold elections immediately without delay and reach an agreement with other political stakeholders over ways free, fair and inclusive polls could be held across the country.

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