Somalia's electoral body warns of polls delay

Somalia on Thursday hinted at a delay of elections following what the Federal electoral body termed as financial challenges and political concerns.

The Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) said in a statement issued in Mogadishu that it was convening a meeting Friday with heads of the state's electoral teams to find a solution to the challenges even as the country prepares for elections Saturday.

The electoral body announced August the elections for the Lower House will start Sept. 24 through to Oct. 10 while that of the Upper House will be take a day to conclude on September 25.

But the FIEIT said it was also facing what it termed as political and security challenges without elaborating. It indicated the elders who are tasked with selecting the delegates had also not submitted their final lists, barely two days to the polls.

"To deal with these challenges, we are convening a meeting with the heads of the state level electoral implementation teams on Friday," said FIEIT.

The elections budget is supposed to be shared between the Somalia and the international community with the latter contributing 60 percent while Somalia clears the rest.

The announcement comes amid affirmation by the international community that the elections must be held without delay.

A communique from a high level meeting on Somalia on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Wednesday called on Somalia to ensure the polls are elected without delay.

"The international community highlights the importance of the upcoming electoral process, as a crucial stepping stone toward one person one vote elections in 2020," the international partners for Somalia said.

"We reiterate the need to keep to the timeline and for a peaceful, credible and transparent process, in a climate of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms," they added. Endit