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We can hold elections in 2020 in Somalia emphasizes IEC chairperson

NIEC chairperson Halima Ismail Ibrahim. File Photo: NIEC

 

Somali Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) yesterday conducted an awareness conference in Kismayo, the interim state capital of Jubbaland emphasizing the possibility of holding elections in Somalia in the year 2020..

The event held in the Jubbaland state guest house was aimed at consultative and awareness drive organized by the independent electoral commission regarding the election exercise in 2020 order to sink in the message of conducting the voting process in light of the recently past elections which instituted the current regional administrations across the federal member states in the country.

The meeting was initially opened by the state deputy president of Jubbland Mohamud Sayid Adan.

Speaking in the event, IEC chairperson Haima Ibrahim Ismail stressed on their optimism of holding the elections process brushing aside pessimism portrayed by the state MPs during their interaction on the conference.

“As an electoral body, we have informed you that we are capable of holding the elections of 2020 in Somalia. In 2000, we went to Arta, Djibouti due to widespread insecurity in Somalia. You elected the current state administration in a tent located inside Kismayo University. We achieved all these through consultation” chairperson Ismail said.

The above response follows when several state MPs who attended the event questioned the electoral body on the matters relating to security which is a prerequisite of holding free and fair elections in the country through “the possibility of being the country a safe place to hold one vote one person during the election in 2020.”

Another MP commended the IEC for the impeccable strategy displayed by the electoral body yet there is “currently a political crisis in Mogadishu depicting the unpredictability of the Somali nation.”

She reminded the honourable ministers the venue where they were holding the meeting in Kismayo which meant that there was a semblance of peace in the country. “Even such a hall like this one we are now conducting this meeting was not built in Kismayo in 2010. How can you say elections cannot take place seeing the magnificent place we are meeting now? inquired chairperson Ismail.

Present in the venue were officials from the national electoral body and several top officials from the state including state ministers, politicians, military officers and some members of the public among others.

Early December, Somalia has registered 7 political parties embracing multi-party politics in more than 50 years. The registered parties include Justice Party, United Democratic Party, Somali People’s Party, National Democratic Party, United Somali Republican Party, Development Party and Somali Society Unity Party.

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