PM Roble steps in as Hashi-Guled row deepens

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Prime Minister Mohamed Roble is this afternoon meeting Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi in a move to quell growing tensions between Hashi and Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled over the composition of the interim electoral body which shall be responsible for the elections of lawmakers representing Somaliland at the Federal Parliament.

The two leaders are meeting at Decale Hotel inside Aden Adde Airport on the sidelines of the ongoing talks with FMS leaders following Guled’s dismissal of a statement purporting to settle the issue of appointment of elections team members.

A statement released by Hashi’s side on Monday indicated that the pro-union political caucus bringing together senior politicians among them MPs and Senators ‘will jointly form the electoral committee with no less than five and no more than nine members.’

They also noted the elections will take place at the Airforce hangar within the airport area in Mogadishu with both Somali police and AMISOM providing security.

But in a quick rejoinder, Guled dismissed the statement terming it ‘baseless and invalid.’ Guled, who has been at loggerheads with Hashi said there was no such meeting or agreement.

Sources have intimated that Guled’s position is buttressed by outgoing president Mohamed Farmaajo who sees the Somaliland bloc as the only faction he can influence after losing out with all the other Federal Member States.

“Farmaajo is pushing Guled to ensure he wields significant control of the composition of the electoral team,” one source said, adding, ‘having lost the power to constitute the federal elections team, Farmaajo is exploring other options with Guled being the only leader on his side.”

The Somaliland question is perhaps the only remaining contentious issue after the FMS leaders and the PM managed to iron out the rest of the issues.