Prime Minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble has called on the country’s regional governments to expedite the election of new federal senators after a missed electoral date set for last Sunday.
PM Roble, who hailed the decision by Jubaland State to kick-start the electoral season in the country, has urged Somalia’s other regional states to follow suit. “Elections have begun, and I urge other states to expedite the elections,” the Prime Minister said in a brief statement posted on his Twitter account. The Jubaland Electoral Implementation Committee on Tuesday released a timetable for the election of the Upper House of the federal Parliament from the Jubaland State.
Thursday’s vote will be for four of the seats while elections for the four remaining posts will take place after candidates are vetted. Nine candidates will contest on Thursday, among them only one woman, according to a statement issued Tuesday, and signed by Madobe. Majority of Somalia’s regional state presidents had failed to meet the 25 July timeline for the start of elections in the regional parliaments. Only Southwest and Jubaland states have appointed election teams while all the other regional governments including the Somaliland caucus are yet to name their teams. According to the elections schedule, FMS presidents were supposed to submit the names of candidates for the senate race latest on 24 July.
