Somalis want clan model retained but favour direct vote-Parliamentary Report

Somalis view the 4.5 clan power-sharing as a source of political stability and security, a fact-finding report by a parliamentary committee indicates.

According to the report by the Lower House ad-hoc committee on the elections law, there was unequivocal support for the clan power arrangement whichever electoral model is settled for.

“The parties we met made it very clear that at present it is impossible to move out of the previously agreed power-sharing system of 4.5 and that any action that undermines the process will result in political instability and insecurity,” the report says.

It is against this backdrop that Somalis reached out to by the committee expressed doubts about the Proportional Representation Closed List option, the report says.

In one instance, though not captured in the report but alluded to by a committee member is that respondents in South West strongly favoured the 4.5 model. Their argument, the MP said was because the model guaranteed their respective clans representation in Parliament and within other power-sharing arrangements.

But conversely, it also emerged from the report that Somalis no longer want a few individuals to choose leaders for them. It is for this reason, the report indicates, respondents rejected the PR model approved by Cabinet in May. The PR Closed List system gives political parties the upper hand in choosing candidates leaving the voters the task of voting for the party and not the candidates of choice.

The election of the President shall be as stipulated by the Provisional Constitution, the amended version of the Bill seen by Goobjoog News read contrary to earlier reports some politicians were pushing for a constitutional amendment to allow direct election by the electorate.

Article 89 of the Provisional Constitution gives powers the Federal Parliament to elect the President.