Declare Farmaajo a ‘spoiler’ opposition says as poll team unveils timelines

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU:  Farmaajo should be declared a spoiler by the public and the international community over his unilateral election decisions, opposition presidential candidates have said urging regional government assemblies not to abide by the newly released timetable.

A caucus of 14 presidential candidates led by former presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in a stern statement Wednesday the move by the Farmaajo-appointed interim federal elections committee to announce elections dates amounted to outright actions by the president to compromise the elections.

The opposition leaders said the president had rejected local and international calls for dialogue and urged the ‘public, stakeholders and international to declare Farmajo as a ‘spoiler.’

The African Union, regional bloc IGAD and the UN have both urged the President to dialogue with all stakeholders including the opposition to reach common ground on the elections. But the president has stuck by his guns and ordered the Federal Indirect Elections Team (FIET) to go ahead with the elections.

The FIET which is composed of senior civil servants and employees of Villa Somalia announced Wednesday the election of Senators will kick off on December 31 and conclude on January 6. Selection of the close to 30,000 delegates who will elect MPs will begin on January 7, the poll team said. But the opposition candidates have asked the FMS parliaments not to conduct the exercise.

Three of the five FMS are led by presidents installed by Farmaajo. These are HirShabelle, Galmudug and South West. Only Puntland and Jubbaland remain outside Farmaajo’s realm.