MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Politicians and elders from the break-away northern region of Somaliland on Friday accused Somalia’s Prime Minister of looting parliamentary seats allocated for the state, in an attempt to sweep his vetted allies to victory.
The outgoing leader of the Senate Abdi Hashi told a press conference in Mogadishu that an interference by the Prime Minister has exacerbated election fraud and urged authorities to stop ongoing parliamentary polls until corrective measures are taken to address complaints made by candidates and traditional leaders, who had been excluded from the electoral process.
Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar, who had been elected to the Senate in an election held in Mogadishu last year, alleged that the Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble was “gerrymandering” the election for parliamentary seats belonging to the Somaliland community in the capital, adding that traditional leaders and regional electoral team were ignored.
“He has decided on his own to do even worse than the president has done. He has decided to ignore the elders, the traditional leaders [and] the committee members,” he said.
“We urge you to use both your diplomatic resources and your moral authority to stop this man from plunging this country into another civil war,” he added, in a message addressed to Somalia’s international partners.
In response to the comments, deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled, who also comes from Somaliland, apologized to the Prime Minister over the allegations and said the remarks by politicians from the northern region are part of efforts aimed to impede ongoing polls.
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