The president and the opposition
The talks between the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia and the opposition group called “the Future Council” have ended inconclusively, while the international community has made great efforts to reach a mutually acceptable solution to the current crisis.
The talks lasted for three consecutive days inside the Xalane camp, with the last meeting breaking up in the afternoon. As somalitodays has learned, the parties have not scheduled another meeting, which makes the ongoing talks a failure.
Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who represented “the Future Council” in the talks, have tabled the government’s term of office and entered a transitional phase.
The opposition, which postponed its protests today, has now held emergency meetings, organizing protests against Villa Somalia.
On the other hand, the Federal Government of Somalia, after the conference, announced that the country had entered the era of transitioning to a democratic system that would remove the country from the clan-based 4.5 system into rule of law and accountabilty that is based on legitimacy and the principle of one person and one vote.
A press release from the Somali Ministry of Information stated that opposition politicians had presented a different perspective on public elections, which it said contradicted the fundamental right of citizens to vote and be elected.
“The government shares with the Somali people that the country will hold free, fair, transparent and transparent elections in line with the constitution, the laws of the country and the political program promised by the government,” the press release said.
The government also said that the door to dialogue and consultation remains open, making it clear that there will be no negotiation on holding the elections again.
“The Federal Government, by fulfilling its constitutional obligations to implement one-person, one-vote elections that provide citizens with the opportunity to exercise their constitutional rights, declares that the country has entered the era of transition to a democratic system that is based on the principle of one person, one vote,” the government statement said.
On the other hand, analysts see that the role of international community in Somalis local politics is weakened by the international challenges and wars in Europe, and the mid- east as well as Somali’s bilateral agreements with friendly countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Russia and the Chines government who provided a significant financial, weapons and technical support to the Somali government.
While the opposition of the government has no unified national agenda as Puntland and Jubba land leaders are seeking succession while the rest are looking for political positions without popular election; continuation of indirect election in Somalia. President Hassan is currently more popular because of his commitment in returning law and order in the country particularly in Mogadishu and surrounding regions. The current government is united internally and secured big investment projects in Somalia.
Written by:Omar Ahmed Maalin