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Somalia's presidential elections postponed to Dec. 28

Xinhua, December 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Somalia's political leaders have agreed to hold the presidential elections on Dec. 28 after being delayed several times.

The political leadership which met on Thursday under the National Leadership Forum (NLF) resolved to swear in Members of the 275-seat Lower House of parliament and the 54-seat Upper House on Dec. 15 and vote in speakers on Dec. 22 before lawmakers elect a new president on Dec. 28.

During the meeting, the political stakeholders committed to the speedy conclusion of the electoral process and full respect for the electoral decisions.

More than 200 Lower House members have so far been elected while the Senate is short of 11 seats from the break-away region of Somaliland whose elections started this week to fill the 54 seats mandated by the 2012 Provisional Constitution.

The move comes after the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) chairperson Omar Mohamed Abdulle said in November the presidential elections would be delayed, noting that new date will be announced after the committee meets with lawmakers.

The 2016 elections were delayed in September, October, and again on Nov. 30 without adequate explanation from leadership.

Mohamed Abdirizak, a presidential aspirant, welcomed the new date but doubted whether the electoral bodies would implement the new deadline since the elections for the Lower House are still ongoing.

"The dates are okay but I doubt whether the electoral bodies and the Somali leadership will implement the new proposal. It will be impractical given the elections for the Lower House are still ongoing," Abdirizak told Xinhua by telephone.

The Horn of Africa nation's delegates representing clans are currently choosing the lawmakers, who in turn will select the new president from more than 10 candidates, including incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The international community has expressed concern about cases of voter bribery, intimidation of voters and candidates and use of state resources by some candidates. Endit