Tuesday November 9, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for the speeding up of elections noting the country had grossly missed timelines set by the Constitution.
Speaking in a function organized by Somalis in Turkey, President Mohamud said the current President Mohamed Farmaajo had overstayed in office contrary to constitutional dictates.
“I woke up on February 8, 2017, as president, and returned at night as a civilian, and I slept well, so it is not necessary to sit in a chair and have one person sit down if the term expires," the former president said.
He also said he was running for president in upcoming elections.
Somalia was expected to have a new president on February 8 2020, but that timeline has since been missed for close to a year.
The former leader’s calls follow similar concerns by the international community which has urged Somali stakeholders to speed up the exercise which has been delayed severally.
The Federal Indirect Elections Team (FIET) said last week the Lower House elections will start ‘soon’ but did not set timelines.