Federal Parliament gives nod to ‘Mogadishu Electoral Model’

A joint session of the Federal Parliament has endorsed a compromise electoral deal recently agreed to by President Mohamed Farmaajo and Federal Member State leaders in what now paves way for parliamentary elections set to kick off in two months’ time.

A total of 252 MPs and Senators meeting at Villa Hargeisa okayed the agreement with only two disagreeing as one other abstained. The adoption of the ‘Mogadishu Model’ now sets the stage for the onset of elections starting November 1.

The Mogadishu Model which is largely built on the 2016 Enhanced Legitimacy Model will see the participation of an extra 14,000 delegates electing members of parliament. During the 2016 elections, 51 delegates elected one MP adding up to 14,025 delegates.

The Mogadishu Model adds 50 more delegates bringing to 101 the voters who will cast the vote in the upcoming poll. An earlier version of the model adopted by a section of FMS leaders and President Farmaajo in Dhusamareb set the number of delegates at 301.

Puntland and Jubbaland presidents Abdullahi Deni and Ahmed Madobe respectively objected to the Dhusamareb Model having boycotted the talks there leading to new talks in Mogadishu.

The agreement reached to in Mogadishu and the subsequent passage parliament today is a sigh of relief for President Farmaajo who has had rocky relations with Federal Member States. But the removal of former Prime Minister Hassan Khaire who had been seen as a key decision mover eased engagements between the President and FMS leaders.

The Mogadishu Model envisages the nomination of delegates jointly by clan elders and civil society representatives in coordination with the FMS governments. It is not however clear how the civil society representatives will be picked.

The next move now involves the formation of a temporary federal electoral team to work jointly with the FMS electoral bodies in preparing for the elections. According to the Mogadishu Model, the election process will start from November 1.