Ban welcomes election timetable in Somalia, urges process to be fair and transparent

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the announcement of Somalia’s timetable for its electoral process this year saying ‘milestone’ process must be fair and transparent.

On Sunday, UN-sponsored Somalia Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) released the timetable for the forthcoming electoral process that will culminate in the election of the country’s new president at the end of October.

Ban said the 2016 electoral process is “an important milestone in Somalia’s journey towards democracy,” and he urged all parties to refrain from any action that would cause further delay, according to a statement released by his spokesperson.

Ban also commended the commitment of Somalia’s electoral body to ensure that one-third of parliamentary seats are set aside for female candidates, hailing it as a signal of the country’s progress towards inclusive political governance.

Current mandate of the president expires on September 10 but the regional governments have agreed to extend his term up to the October 30 vote.

The vote will involve up to 14,000 delegates chosen by clan elders and organised into six US-style “electoral colleges” to choose 275 MPs, 30 percent of whom will be women.

Currently, the country has been faced with the threat of the extremist group Al-Shabaab, which has launched frequent attacks to topple the Somali government.

Somalia sank into a devastating civil war in 1991 when warlords ousted president Mohamed Siad Barre, plunging the country into years of chaos.