FIET sends team to Baidoa to resolve 3 ‘disputed’ seats

GOOBJOOG NEWS/MOGADISHU: The Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT) has announced that it will send a team to Baidoa on Wednesday to resolve the dispute surrounding 3 seats suspended by the committee.

“The Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT) is sending members of the Commission tomorrow morning, April 13, 2022, to Baidoa, the capital of the Transitional Federal Government of Southwestern Somalia. To address the concerns of the South West Administration,” read a statement from FIET.

FIET’s move comes after the South West administration lobbied its lawmakers to boycott Thursday’s swearing-in after the Federal polls body issued orders for the re-election of the 3 seats, saying that the process was marred with irregularities.

South West refuted the claims, arguing that the election of the three lawmakers had been done fairly and that no one had raised any complaints regarding the 3 seats.

South West President Abdiaziz Laftagareen, has however, pointed an accusing finger at Prime Minister Roble for seeking a seat among the three embattled seats for a member of his faction, believed to be the Somali defense minister.  

Efforts to resolve the dispute by the Galmudug Head of State have  hit a snag, and it is hoped that FIET will find a solution before the swearing-in ceremony slated for tomorrow.

The Federal polls team seems to have backtracked from its earlier decision of going on with the swearing-in ceremony despite unresolved disputes, owing to pressure from the international community for the release of the blocked seats.