Somalia’s electoral team promises a fair process

Members of the Federal Indirect Electoral Implementation Team (FIEIT) have assured the public that they will carry out their assignment with impartiality to ensure the electoral process is successful.

Omar Mohamed Abdulle ‘Dhagey’, the chairman of the FIEIT, made the undertaking during a media briefing held today in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Abdulle said the electoral process would be held concurrently in 37 locations in the federal and regional capitals including Mogadishu, Garowe, Cadaado, Kismaayo, and Baidoa.

According to Abdulle, the FIEIT has established committees at both the federal and regional levels and was working closely with  Somali security agencies, mainly the army, police and intelligence, as well as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to ensure  that the electoral process is held in a secure environment.

The team will oversee the conduct of the 2016 electoral process and handle complaints in accordance with the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability.

In addition, the upcoming elections will be more inclusive, with a representation of over 14,000 “electoral envoys”, mandated to elect members of the lower house of Parliament who will in turn participate in electing the President along with the upper house of the legislature.

Dates for the voting for members of the country’s next federal Parliament have yet to be announced.