Poll gridlock eased as Deni, Madobe name election teams

GOOBJOOG NEWS|FMS: The stalemate over elections in Somalia eased Wednesday night following the release of state-level election committees by Jubbaland and Puntland seemingly dropping their earlier conditions following intense pressure from the UN.

Both Jubaland and Puntland announced eight members each to their respective State Indirect Elections Teams (SIET) after months of grandstanding setting conditions for the Federal Government. Key on their demands was the withdrawal of federal troops from Gedo region, a demand President Mohamed Farmaajo has turned down.

The two states alongside the Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) had also demanded Farmaajo disbands the Federal level elections team (FIET) and name a new one arguing the committee was packed with the president’s loyalists.

But in their joint statement which they admitted the intervention of UN head James Swan, the two leaders called for a meeting bringing together the Federal Government and Federal Member State leaders on January 30.

But that timeline may not be viable since Swan, who has been on a whirlwind tour of the FMS to push for electoral consensus will not have completed his mission. He is heading to Jowhar the headquarters of HirShabelle today and is expected to conclude his regional engagements in Kismayo on Saturday.