Somalia struggling to overcome a political bottleneck

Shaimaa Hefzi

A political crisis, induced by the failure of Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in paving the road for elections, keeps spiraling up in Somalia.

The United Nations has warned, meanwhile, against widening the scope of the crisis which will make it take an international proportion.

The United Nations Security Council also expressed concern over the situation in Somalia. It said parties to the political crisis in the country continue to have major differences on the elections issue.

Chocking

Somalia has been struggling to overcome a bottleneck created by Farmaajo’s declaration that he would run for a second four-year term as president.

The president’s declaration opened the door for major rifts in his country, especially in the lack of unanimity on him among the different states in Somalia.

The Somali parliament should have elected a new president on 8 February. However, the elections were postponed against the background of Somalia’s failure to elect new MPs.

Farmaajo should have left the office of president by 8 February. He did not do this, hence creating a constitutional crisis in his country.

A coalition of opposition candidates considers Farmaajo an illegitimate president. The members of the coalition also ask him to walk out and leave the office of president for a successor.

The Security Council has warned that Somalia is reaching a dead end. It called on Somali politicians to reach a consensus on means of solving the political crisis in their country in the light of a September 17, 2020 agreement.