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We are burning the midnight oil to beat electoral deadline- Somali polls chief

Storyline:National News

Omar Mohamed Abdulle was appointed chairperson of the Federal Electoral Implementation Team, FEIT in June 2016. The Team is tasked with overseeing the electoral process and will work closely with the State Level Implementation Team.

Abdulle  was born in Jowhar in 1957 and graduated with a law degree in 1983 from the Somali National University. He has served variously in both the public and private sector. From 1984 to 2016 he, served as magistrate in various stations countrywide.

Abdulle has been instrumental in developing laws and promoting jurisprudence in Somalia. Notable among his assignments include drafting the Provisional Constitution 2012, the Gender Bill 2016 and Foreign Workers Bill 2015.

He also worked for United Nations Development Programme, Legal Action Worldwide and in 2014 was appointed Presidential legal advisor.

Goobjoog News political affairs editor Abdullaziz Gurbiye sat down with Abdulle to discuss a range of issues regarding his role as FEIT chair and the preparatory process towards the 2016 polls.

Goobjoog News: How was the Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT) established?

The State Level Implementation Team was established through a competitive process by the federal member states and appointed by federal member states presidents. The Federal Electoral Implementation Team was appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by the President. I was chosen later to head the FEIT.

GN: What has the FEIT done so far since it was established?

We met in July 12, 2016, for the first time. We defined a working framework in line with the guiding principles of the FEIT. We also established a working formula with key stakeholders in particular the Federal Government, International community, elders and federal member states.

We chose six different sub committees: The first one was the Training and Capacity Building subcommittee. This would be responsible for training of staff to conduct such aspects as registration of candidates and management of the electoral process. The second subcommittee is in charge of security. Others included the finance and services, media and technical sub committees. We also formed another crucial committee which will be responsible for implementing the 30% quota for women in both the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament.

GN: How were you elected as chair of the Team?

The Team has 22 members and they elected five people to be in charge of the elections. These members were responsible for electing the chair of the Team. Through secret ballot I was elected chair after competing with two other contestants namely Sayiid Jama Gorshel and Nafisa Gedi Santur. For the deputy’s position, the contestants were Sahro Abdi Hussein, Deeqo Yassin and Fardowsa Mohamed Duale. Deeqo Yasin won the seat.

GN: Prior to your appointment as FEIT chair, you were the President’s legal advisor. As a result, there is concern you may not be objective enough given the president is also a candidate in the upcoming polls. How do you respond to this?

That’s a good question. Somalis are also conscious about this. I was the president’s legal advisor and as such the president can have an advisor just like he would have a doctor. My position now has nothing to do with my previous role at Villa Somalia. I was strictly advising the President on legal matters; on laws passed by parliament, treaties and bilateral agreements at international level. I did not advise him on his political ambitions. People may have their fears but I think actions speak louder than words.

GN: Have you left your role as President’s advisor or you still consult for him?

The people in this Team previously worked in different stations but once they were tasked with this responsibility they all relinquished those contracts to serve the Team exclusively. I too obeyed that rule and so I am no longer the President’s legal advisor. I am now the chair of the FEIT.

GN: What is the specific mandate of the FEIT?

This committee is national/federal. Our mandate does not involve conducting the elections per se but establishing the framework under which the polls will be conducted. This involves ensuring the polls are held within specific timelines and standards, setting the terms and conditions for the electoral teams and the form of registration of delegates.

Our obligation is to observe and supervise other committees which are tasked with running other electoral process including the selection for candidates. We are also responsible for setting the dates, identifying the respective polling stations and ensuring all the necessary materials/equipment are procured and ready for the polls.

GN: How do you intend to manage funds from candidates and ensure a transparent fiscal process?

That will not be our responsibility. The Federal government has its own accounting systems. That money will be used for the election. However we will require of those managing the funds to provide us with financial records since we will need to incorporate this in our post polls report. This will serve to ensure a sense of accountability.

The National Leadership Forum (President and heads of federal member states) fixed a fee of $10,000 for Upper for $5000 for the Lower House. This is a political decision by NLF and we have to ensure it is adhered to.

GN: Since the FEIT was established, and going by the framework and timelines set then, it occurs that almost 95% of the what was to be done has not be achieved. Why is this the case?

These elections are quite different from the 2012 polls. We have 135 elders who will choose the voters for each MP, 14,025 voters, technical teams at federal and state level, dispute resolution committee, security among others. There are many factors, players and very limited time to execute each and every time within set timelines. We are however working very hard to ensure we meet the deadlines but we cannot rule out any delays.

GN: Given the prevailing scenario, are we sure Somalia will have a new president by September 10th as set out by the National Leadership Forum?

This is a very important question. This committee is working on new timelines in concert with the prevailing situation. We are also working on a new budget. Once we are done with this we can announce new dates.

GN: Will you take responsibility for any delays?

It is possible to delay the elections because of involvement of other partners and external factors which we do not have control over.

GN: What’s your relationship with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud?

I don’t have any close relationship with the President. My relationship with him was at professional level and it has ended. My work was to advise him regarding legislations, agreements and any other legal processes locally and internationally.

By Abdullaziz Gurbiye