President’s Men make a come as November vote takes shape

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s closest allies among them former justice minister Farah Abdulkadir secured a return today to the August House bolstering the President’s candidature as the November 30 poll draws closer.

Delegates from President’s Mohamud’s home turf, HirShabelle state today endorsed the President’s men in the first round of voting adding to a number of current and former ministers allied to the president who have also been elected to the Upper and Lower Houses in various states.

Former National Intelligence Services Agency, NISA and current ambassador to Turkey Abdullahi Ali Sanbaloolshe earned a seat in the Lower House after garnering 48 votes leaving the remaining three seats for his rivals Hassan Ali Abdi and Abdirahman Jima’le Abdi. Farah Abdulkadir the man considered to wield substantial power and say in President Mohamud’s administration easily swept to victory with 50 votes while his only opponent had to contend with the remaining one vote.

Abdulkadir who was appointed Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister during Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed’s term as Premier played a critical role in President Mohamud’s bid for Villa Somalia in 2012. His inclusion in Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke’s list of cabinet ministers in in January 2015 alongside Sanbaloolshe’s led caused uproar in the House forcing Sharmarke to drop them.

Also elected today from HirShabelle is current Internal Security Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed alongside former Gender Minister Khadijo Mohamed Diriye and current MP Mohamed Hassan Ibrahim Qoono, all President Mohamud’s allies.

Seven out of 37 MPs elected so far in Jubbaland are either current or former ministers/MPs allied to the president while six others made a comeback in South West state out of the 24 so far elected. Notable among them is Federal Parliament speaker Mohamed Osman Jawaari whose rulings in the last parliament saved the President from being impeached two times. Sources had earlier indicated Jawaari was calling it a day in politics only to make a comeback as MP from South West state.

In Puntland, at least five out of 19 elected so far are closely allied to the president as ministers or MPs.

Presidential polls take place in November 30 with both Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament taking part in electing the country’s new leader. A total of 43 Senators have so far been elected with all the states save for Somaliland conducting the exercise.

To be elected, a presidential candidate will need a 50+1 votes which is equivalent to 165 votes drawn from the 329 member Federal Parliament.

Jubbaland has so far elected the highest number of MP adding up to 37 out of 43. The southerly state has chosen eight women out of the 37 MPs elected so far. Puntland has elected 19 MPs remaining with 20 others. Out of this, only two female candidates secured a seat. In South West with 69 MPs, the highest concentration of MPs distributed among clans in the state has so far elected 23 MPs allocating three seats to women.

The newly established state, HirShabelle Tuesday elected the first five MPs remaining with 31 MPs while Galmudug which has 36 MPs has so far elected 14 MPs.