Roble fires back, accuses Farmaajo of sticking to power, undermining elections

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Outgoing President Mohamed Farmaajo has been working to undermine the elections and he is not ready to leave power, Prime Minister has said in a strong rebuke as the two sides open new battles lines amidst a long-running and delayed election.

Roble said Sunday in a terse rejoinder that Farmaajo has been working to scuttle the elections since he handed responsibility to manage the exercise to the PM in May.

“We share with the Somali people and the international community that the President has spent time, money and mind during his tenure in office in an attempt to ensure that the elections are only responsive to his will or pave the way for a term extension,” Roble said in perhaps once of the fiercest charges against Farmaajo.

Further, Roble said, the outgoing President who has been in office for about a year beyond the constitutional dictates has sought to frustrate the electoral process to ensure he continues his stay in office.

“Since the Prime Minister took over the leadership of the electoral process, the President has been constantly undermining the implementation of the agreed-upon elections, using various tactics which, once resolved, have overtaken the other until this morning,” the statement read in part.

READ ALSO: Somali elections on the balance as Farmaajo moves to strip PM of role

Farmaajo fired the first salvo Saturday night accusing Roble of being ‘slow’ in implementing the electoral process and that he had ‘deviated from the rules of the electoral process, he tore apart the mandate of the electoral commissions and violated their independence.’

Farmaajo added that he was convening a meeting with Federal Member State presidents to find a solution to the leadership of the elections, a statement which has been interpreted to mean the removal of the PM from elections management.

But Roble has rubbished the proposed meeting noting it was a ploy by Farmaajo to ensure his meeting with the FMS leaders on Monday does not take place.
Puntland president Abdullahi Deni has since confirmed he will be attending the meeting. m