Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somalia’s international partners have dismissed the possibility of term extensions for Somali leaders, in accordance with repeated declarations to that effect by the country’s legislature and executive.
Somalia’s donors including the United Nations have earlier reiterated delivering Somalia’s Vision 2016 plan, without any extension of the term of the Federal Parliament or President in August and September 2016 respectively.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the United Nations, IGAD, European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Italy said that the new call reinforced an earlier agreement on a detailed electoral model, an implementation plan and a political roadmap to deliver universal suffrage elections by 2020, to be reached in the coming days.
“In the Mogadishu Declaration of 16 December, Somali leaders committed themselves to presenting an agreement by 10 January.” The statement said.
The international community also instructed Somali leaders to put the interests of the nation first, in order to complete the Somali-led and Somali-owned process that began in July last year and has involved large numbers of Somalis from across the country.
“Time is short, and much remains to be done to ensure an electoral process can be implemented by August without delay.” the statement added.
According to Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution, adopted in 2012, the mandates of the Somali Federal Parliament and of the Government would come to an end in August and September 2016,
respectively.
The country still faces security challenges as the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group continues to carry out violent attacks across Somalia by carrying out guerrilla attacks including suicide attacks and
assassinations.