EDITORIAL: LET NATIONAL INTERESTS GUIDE OUR RESPONSE TO THE 2016 ELECTORAL OPTION ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW

The National Consultative Forum which brings together the senior leadership of the country will tomorrow converge in the coastal city of Kismayo to announce the much anticipated electoral option for the August polls following the conclusion of nationwide consultations.

The meeting is significant for Somalia in many ways than one. First the announcement will for the first time after over two decades usher in the path to more inclusive and participatory electoral processes in Somalia. This is in line with the call by the National Consultative Forum whose task was to ensure the electoral option promotes ‘enhanced legitimacy’.

Second the announcement charts a path towards consultative political processes in Somalia where stakeholders can agree to disagree for the common good of the country. Agreeing on one formula is not easy especially for a country which has largely been balkanised along clan lines. This is a turning point for Somalia; a break from the past which is guided by national interests first.

Finally the announcement will prepare the country for elections in August 2016 elections in line with Vision 2016 and the fervent call by the UN Security Council against any term extension by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud administration. The president and parliament have given their word to the country that there will no extension beyond the August timeline.

It is our call and duty as citizens of this great nation to heed to the announcement tomorrow and join hands together even as the Independent National Electoral Commission takes over the mantle in preparing for the elections.

The electoral option may not be in sync with our choices but the time honoured call for ‘country first’ must guide our reactions and responses to the announcement. There comes a time in the history of the nation when service to common good overrides all other interests, the price notwithstanding. That time is now for Somalia.

Finally, we strongly call upon the Federal government and all the international actors to spare no effort in supporting and financing the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure it delivers its mandate as bestowed upon it by the sovereign will of the Somali people. Credible elections enhance the legitimacy of government and is the impetus to peace and development.

Goobjoog News congratulates the National Consultative Forum and all those who participated in the process to ensure a deal is brokered. The task ahead is still enormous but is not insuperable.