The outcome of the delayed National Consultative Council (NCC) meeting on the federal elections held for two days in Mogadishu from August 21 to 22 has created a storm of discontent as it breached all previous electoral agreements.
The parody of senators elections
This meeting was held as a follow up to the recent sham election of senators by some Somalia’s regional leaders.
On July 29, Jubbaland was praised for leading the way on the much-awaited election, or the semblance of it, of the Upper House members.
These elections, which was actually a farce, was followed suit by the Southwest region which also shortlisted friends, relatives and political allies.
When two weeks later, Puntland did the same thing, the whole nation saw that this year’s elections would be a mockery.
It is even difficult to bear that the elections were being hijacked by Puntland and Jubbaland, two regions which blocked the elections for months to get to this.
Since then, four regional states have transmitted their list of Senate members while Hirshabelle and the North-West regions (Somaliland) are slow to submit their list due to infightings.
Breaching all electoral agreements
This process distressed future candidates, especially the Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) who believed they had Puntland and Jubbaland’s backing to beat the incumbent president in the elections.
Obviously, the senate selection was in breach of the electoral process agreed upon in the September 17 and May 27 agreements.
This disregard to the rules has become a public outcry over the fraud, with no elections being held, but regional leaders selecting their sympathizers.
It was with this violation in mind that the Federal Election Implementation Team (FEIT) attempted to regain control by issuing an electoral procedure, which limits regional leaders’ powers a few days before the NCC meeting.
The procedure clearly stated that the majority of the power to elect members of parliament rests with the clans that hold the seat.
Some members of the FEIT, who hail from Puntland and Jubbaland, immediately objected about the timing of the release they deemed premature, as other regions did not submit their Senate list.
The formalization of rigged elections
The disagreement within the FEIT was echoed in yesterday’s unfortunate agreement by the NCC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.
The hijacked process the FEIT wanted to redress to ensure a transparent, free and fair elections was now formalized.
The PM signed the agreement with Puntland, Jubbaland, Galmudug, Southwest, Hirshabelle and Benadir leaders to the general population consternation.
The deal reveals that the NCC has taken over the power to elect members of parliament, and includes provisions to make it easier for them to control the electorate.
With this new process, the regional states have full control of producing the next members of parliament and with a minimal to no supervision from any federal commission.
The new provisions take away the powers of the FEIT which has been handed over to the State Level Commission headed by the Presidents of the regional administration.
The only power left to the Commission is to oversee, determine the administration of the Electoral Budget and to legislate and certify MPs.
The hard fall of the dupes
This year’s election has been replaced by a scramble for selection under the very noses of a disappointed nation.
The disappointment is felt not only by political actors but by everyone in different sectors of society.
The CPC, which ensured that the president was sidelined from the electoral process, helped Puntland and Jubbaland gain more control and supported Prime Minister Roble to oversee the process, is appalled by the result.
At loggerheads with Said Deni and Ahmed Madobe, the opposition candidates tried to be included in the NCC meeting held last weekend but were flatly rejected by the two regions leaders they supported.
Now that their future role in influencing the Lower House members “selection” has been reduced to zero, they can put aside their hopes of seeing one of them elected president.
The unease of accepting an unacceptable process
Today, the presidential candidates published their rejection of this new selection process which gives regional states near-exclusivity to nominate whoever they want through a vetting process.
They want clans be given the freedom to elect their respective reps as agreed between President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and the regional states if the next administration want to have some kind of legitimacy.
Oddly enough, the CPC in coordination with Puntland and Jubbaland leaders has pushed towards the current situation by instigating an armed rebellion to dissuade President Farmajo from participating in the election talks.
As for FEIT members, the Prime Minister asked them to accept their new decorative role and to rubber-stamp the controversial outcome of an unlawful selection process.
In all of this, the most bizarre twist is the international community that had supported the CPC’s violent outburst on April has remained strangely silent about the new development.
As for the incumbent, we have not heard anything yet as his chances of being re-elected are now even dimmer and his options to influence the new fraud friendly process almost impossible.
He is surely stunned by this unexpected downward spiral, he who wanted to give the voting power to all Somalis.
