World urges compromise as row over election deepens in Somalia

By The Star Staff Writer

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s international partners, a loose grouping of 21 countries and four organizations, on Tuesday called on the Somali government and opposition groups to resolve their differences over the date and model of unpcoming elections through “dialogue and compromise.”

The Somali partners, including the US, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, also warned about any “attempt by a single stakeholder to unilaterally impose electoral modalities” on the country, which is already in the middle of a pandemic, desert locust, seasonal floods, insecurity and the United Nations’ aid agency calls “one of the most complex, protracted humanitarian crises in the world.”

“Commitment to agreed national priorities and to resolving issues through dialogue and compromise is vital for continued international support to Somalia at current levels,” said the Somali partners in a joint statement.

The international community’s call mirrors a similar one made just days ago by the United States and the European Union that condemned Somali parliament’s weekend decision to overwhelmingly unseat Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a no-confidence vote. Lawmakers accused Khaire of failing to prepare the nation for popular elections, among other issues.

The Somali government rebuffed the EU and US criticisms and counseled Mogadishu-based diplomats to “respect the sovereignty of our nation and our constitution as well as the UN Diplomatic Convention.”

But that didn’t stop Somalia’s international partners from expressing their “concern and their strong hope” that Khaire’s ouster “will not undermine efforts to reach political consensus on timely elections, disrupt Somalia’s reform agenda, or create instability that may reverse the gains made so far on national priorities.”

The Somali partners urged President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo and regional administrators to honor their July 22 deal in the northern city of Dhusamareb and to stick to the date set for the follow-up meeting, while also bringing on board the speakers of both houses of parliament, political parties and civil society representatives.

“The partners have consistently called for inclusive consultations to achieve broad-based agreement on the modalities for the 2020 elections,” they said. “This is why they welcomed the decisions reached by the Federal and State leaders in Dhusamareb on 22 July as an important step towards that goal.”

The donor community pledged to help the work of the joint technical committee preparing recommendations for the Aug. 15 meeting.

“Any attempt by a single stakeholder to unilaterally impose electoral modalities will lack legitimacy and will not be implementable without the essential support from other stakeholders,” the international partners said.

The national Somali government and opposition groups, including regional chiefs, have in recent months been locked in a zero-sum dispute over the date and model of upcoming elections, with the opposition pushing for indirect polls in which a group of selected elders elect lawmakers who will in turn elect the president. President Farmajo has vetoed that model, which was used in 2016-2017 elections and was marred by corruption and bribery. Instead, he called for holding a popular vote in the country, a proposition critics said could entail delaying parliament and presidential elections that are due Dec. 27, 2020 and Feb. 8, 2021 respectively.

The electoral body asked for more time and $70 million to organize a popular vote.

Many fear that if the electoral stalemate drags on without any meaningful resolution, it could fuel civil unrest and political instability in the country that would only benefit al Shabab terrorists.

But Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Isse Awad, in his monthly briefing with the Somalia-based Diplomatic Corps, said that he conveyed President Farmajo’s “commitment to political stability, inclusivity and consensus building.”

The row over the upcoming elections intensifies amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the country, with 5.1 million people now in need. The triple threat of Covid-19, desert locust and seasonal floods is wracking Somalia, which is already vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters due to decades of instability and unhelpful military and political interventions by foreign nations and organizations.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday, the day after Khaire’s ouster, flash and riverine floods have since late June drove 124,200 out of their homes, while another 5,000 people were at risk of further displacement in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region.

The UN said flash and riverine floods have since late June affected an estimated 191,800 people in four regions across the country, including the capital, Mogadishu.

“Since May, at least 13 river breaks have occurred in Jowhar, Mahaday and Balcad districts where an estimated 342,100 people have been affected by floods and 149,000 hectares of farmland damaged in nearly 100 villages across the three districts,” said the UN. “Forty-six water wells and three boreholes have been damaged in Jowhar and Mahaday districts.”