Mogadishu (PP Editorial) — Two years ago President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, then a vocal critic of his predecessor, sternly criticised a term extension expedited by the Lower House. Yesterday, President Mohamud proposed an unconstitutional introduction of a presidential system of government and 5-year presidential term and one person, one vote elections based on two political parties. President Mohamud used the Somali word “talo” to describe the unconstitutional move. The word can mean either a rule or advice. He might have meant wadatashi to emphasise securing nationwide consensus for the modalities agreed by the National Consultative Council in Mogadishu without the presence of Puntland President Said Abudllahi Deni. While reading the communique, the Somali Interior Minister Ahmed Fiqi inadvertently included the name of Puntland President in the signatories.
At a time a civil war is raging in Northern Somalia, President Hassan Mohamud, banking on his clan’s stronghold, oversaw what has been described as a collective power grab that can return Somalia to the transitional period.
Three months ago, the Federal Government of Somalia was planning to extend the incumbent administration’s term by one year. Mahdi Guled, an MP and former Deputy Prime Minister, was tasked with pushing the agenda through the Lower House. That plan faced criticism from former presidents and prime ministers. In 2021, when the Lower House resorted to term extension for President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, President Hassan Sheikh was content with the mobilisation of local militias dubbed Badbaado Qaran (National Salvation) to nip the unconstitutional move in the bud. President Hassan has adopted the ways of a warlord, as exemplified by his knee-jerk reaction to Puntland local government elections (which he advised against) and which were praised in the communique yesterday, or the renewed relations between Somalia and Russia, which pledged to supply Somalia with arms to fight Al-shabaab, despite Somalia voting in favour of the Ukraine resolution against Russian invasion.
The collective power grab risks undermining the debt forgiveness initiative, deepens distrust between the incumbent Federal Government of Somalia and Puntland State of Somalia, and stakeholders of other Federal Member States, who view proposed term extensions for incumbent Presidents as a pork-barrelling to delay fair contest for presidency of Federal Member States such as Galmudug, South West State, Jubaland and Hirshabelle. The collective power grab publicised by Villa Somalia should be spurned.
© Puntland Post, 2023
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