President Mohamud to meet FMS leaders Monday amid unease over term extension bids

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Federal Government and Federal Member States leaders will meet on Monday for the second time since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came into office in May amid uneasy relations between the two levels of government.

Jubbaland president Ahmed Madobe has already arrived in Mogadishu while his counterparts in Galmudug, South West, Puntland and Hir-Shabelle are expected to make way into the city over the weekend.

The meeting follows the conclusion of a forum between FMS Ministers of Finance and the FGS Minister. The two sides were wxpected to resolve their differences following the announcement in late August by the FMS Ministers to ‘suspend cooperation’ with the federal treasury over ‘failure to honour past agreements.’

Crucially, the FGS-FMS meeting is expected to heal the simmering differences between the regional presidents and Villa Somalia. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is facing a growing political revolt in the regions following the clamour for term extensions.

Madobe, a close ally of both the President and Prime Minister Hamza Barre secured a one year extension last month after the regional Parliament endorsed an extension bid. South West President Abdiasis Lafta Gareen successfully convinced the Parliament in Baidoa in April 2020 to hand him one more year when his stay in office lapses at the end of this year.

There have also been unconfirmed reports that Ahmed Qoorqoor of Galmudug was also pushing for an extended stay in office. These developments have presented cracking political headaches for Villa Somalia which is expecting to push for political allies to be elected when the term of the FMS leaders ends.

Three of the five FMS leaders- Qoorqoor, Lafta Gareen and Ali Gudlawe of Hir-Shabelle were installed by former President Mohamed Farmaajo. These three leaders remain closely allied to Farmaajo.

It is not clear if President Mohamud will be urging the FMS leaders to stick to their constitutional term limits or will look the other way and present a common front to pave way for a collaborative relationship between the two sides.

Of importance for the President is the FMS support for his domestic policies especially security which requires synergy from the two levels of government.