MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The leaders of Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Jubaland vetoed a proposed participation of members of the Council of Presidential Candidates, a conglomerate of opposition parties, weeks after they had criticized Senate votes held by the two regions.
The leaders of the two regional states Saeed Abdullahi Deni and Ahmed Mohamed Islam refused the opposition leaders to attend a conference on upcoming elections, which had been opened by the prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Saturday.
They won the support of the presidents of Hirshabelle and Southwest regional states – key allies of Somalia’s current acting president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.
The Council of Presidential Candidates has recently urged the prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to allow some of its members to participate in the election talks, days after a renewed dispute delayed parliamentary polls.
A statement issued by opposition leaders last week following a three-day meeting, which alleged favoritism and lack of transparency in the Senate elections held by Puntland and Jubaland, angered authorities of the two regional states, who had backed the opposition in April following an extension of the outgoing president’s term in office.
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