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Somalia releases new dates for elections

Xinhua, September 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Somalia's electoral body has postponed the nation's electoral process by a month.

The Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) said the presidential election will now take place on Nov. 30 while parliamentary elections will be held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 10 for both the Lower and Upper houses.

"The election of speakers of both houses of parliament will be held on Nov. 23," FIEIT chairman Omar Abdulle said in a statement released in Mogadishu on Monday evening.

Briefly, Abdulle noted the process was facing financial, security and political challenges among other several causes.

"Although substantial progress has been achieved on the electoral process, it seems some of the tasks cannot be completed based on the planned schedule, due to several impediments including political challenges, security, management of the electoral budget. The Election Dispute Resolution Mechanism has not yet commenced work. Some traditional elders haven't yet completed submission of a list of delegates," he said.

Failure by elders to submit lists of delegates who will elect members of the Lower House was also cited as a major obstacle by the electoral body.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud whose term expired Sept. 10 in line with the constitution was given a 50-day extension until Oct. 30 but will now have another full month in office.

According to UN Mission in Somalia, a three-day meeting between FIEIT members and chairpersons of the State Indirect Electoral Implementation Teams also agreed that the Election Dispute Resolution Mechanism should become operational by Oct. 8, in order to address complaints of irregularities related to the electoral process.

Presidents of the existing and emerging federal member states will be asked to submit the names of candidates for the Upper house of the federal parliament by Oct. 5. Endit