International partners call on Somali leaders to resolve poll issues

GOOBJOOG NEWS/MOGADISHU: Somalia’s international partners on Friday called on the country’s stakeholders to resolve any obstacles to completion of the parliamentary process in the remaining voting sites through dialogue and on a consensus basis, so as to rapidly and credibly conclude the elections.

The partners noted that more than 80 percent of the House of the People seats were completed as of the March 15 deadline.

“We, therefore, call upon all political leaders to avoid approaches, including a parallel process, that are not based on an agreement among the key actors,” the partners said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The partners reiterated that efforts must be redoubled to achieve the 30 percent quota for women’s representation in parliament. So far, 50 of the elected lawmakers are women, with Jubaland and Hirshabelle States expected to elect the remaining 33 seats.

The statement comes a day after the Federal polls body announced April 14 as the swearing-in date of the elected members of the two houses of the Somali Parliament, a move highly lauded by the United States.