Photo/Somali Times
The National Consultative Forum meeting, which has been working hard to convince the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland, has now come to an end. ”Today, we are making it clear to the Somali people that the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland do not want an election,” said Minister Dubbe.
The meeting between President Farmajo and the leaders of the Afisyoni regional administrations ended in failure after the most contentious issues were resolved.
The conference failed due to disagreements over a number of points rejected by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, including: that the security of the elections, especially the role of the security agencies during the elections, be included in the agenda of the next meeting, to determine who is responsible.
Ahmed Madobe and Said Deni, who are allied with opposition candidates at the National Salvation Forum, believe that after the February 19th incident, when security forces attacked the candidates, Farmajo could not be trusted with election security.
Mr Mohamed Farmajo also refused to include the debate on his agenda, his term and that of parliament, and the international community’s presence in the talks.
Incumbent Information Minister Osman Dubbe blamed the failure of the conference on the Presidents of Puntland and Jubaland, saying they did not want elections in the country.
“The government is making it clear to the Somali people today that the two regional presidents of Puntland and Jubaland do not want elections to take place in this country based on the September 17th 2020 agreement of understanding. It is unfortunate that these two Presidents of Puntland and Jubaland have become a roadblock that does not allow elections,” Dubbe said.