Somalia's President Obstructing Elections

Somalia’s elections have long been delayed thanks to tireless efforts of the outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo who is yet again on spot for the current impasse.

Farmajo fiercely sought to obstruct elections, causing a political impasse that has led to a division between Somalia’s federal government and some of its member states on the way forward.

Despite giving Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble full responsibility to coordinate elections in the country, outgoing President seems to be interested in monitoring elections in Gedo, a region in Jubaland where he wants total control.

Jubaland has long opposed Farmajo's policies, at times accusing him of a plot to undermine the region's leadership.

Jubaland’s leader, Ahmed Madobe, said that his administration negotiated in good faith but encountered hurdles and resistance all the way.

“The responsibility for the failure to hold timely and consensus-based elections lies solely on President Farmajo,” his office said in a statement.

Somalia had set itself the goal of holding its first one-person, one-vote ballot since 1969, a pursuit hailed by the UN as a “historic milestone.”

But frequent attacks by the Al-Shabab militant group, among other governance challenges, made such an exercise an unlikely prospect.

Farmajo’s term had expired in February, but the lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly to extend his term by two years, a move that sparked widespread opposition led by two former presidents and renowned political figures.

Local and international pressure forced Farmajo to ask the lawmakers to cancel the presidential term extension, leading to a consultative national meeting led by the Somali prime minister.

Talks for holding elections between the federal government and regional leaders began in March, but broke down many times with President Farmajo and his backers imposing obstacles to electoral process.

The impasse could usher in a political crisis in the Horn of Africa nation already confronting a violent insurgency, a locust invasion and serious food shortages.