Gov’t Will Not Interfere with Electoral Commission-Interior Minister

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Interior and Federal Affairs Minister Ali Hosh has said the government will not interfere with the functioning of the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (INEBC) as the country gears up for regional and national elections.

Speaking during a meeting with representatives of registered political parties in Mogadishu, Hosh said the INEBC was an independent constitutional body which is not under any directions from the government.

“The National Electoral Commission has full independence, and the government can only assist in terms of security and finances if necessary but will not interfere in the work of the commission,” the minister said.

The remarks come amid criticisms by the opposition that the government was seeking to interfere with the independence of the INEBC.

Hosh added that voter registration was going on smoothly in several parts of the country ahead of the district council elections set to start in the capital Mogadishu at the end of this year.