By ABDULKADIR KHALIF

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Somalia has given itself two more weeks to conclude parliamentary elections, in yet another attempt to accomplish what it has failed to do in the past one year.

The announcement came as the US put more visa sanctions on those alleged to be causing the delays. The US State Department said on Wednesday that it was adding more officials to the visa ban list pursuant to a policy Secretary Anthony Blinken announced on February 8.

Blinken said there has been continued credible reports of procedural irregularities and warned that more officials in government could be barred from travelling to the US for promoting those irregularities.

The election was scheduled to have been complete by March 15, with both the Lower and Upper Houses fully constituted ahead of the presidential election during which MPs will elect the country’s leader.

On Tuesday, the Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT), issued a fresh schedule.

“The FEIT in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister will hold an inauguration ceremony for the members of both Houses of parliament on April 14, 2022,” it said. This will be preceded by the FEIT submitting to the secretariat of the Lower and Upper House, details of the elected 275 legislators and 54 Senators, totaling 329 who will be eligible to vote for the president.

The FEIT has duly directed the State Electoral Implementation Teams (SEITs) to capture and file all information of each elected member of both Houses between March 16 and 23. Then between March 24 and 25, federal electoral teams will verify the documents.

But two of the five federal member states, namely Galmudug and South West have protested the new schedule calling it illegal.

In press statement issued by the Southwest state in Baidoa town, 240km southwest of Mogadishu, they said: “The schedule to call and document the elected members of the legislators is outside the powers of the FEIT,” adding that “The South West state will only accept a schedule approved by the National Consultative Council (NCC),”

The five federal states are Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West and Jubbalaland.

Since May 1, 2021, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has been chairing the NCC, which announced the conclusion of the election of the remaining members of the House of the People (Lower House of the parliament) as March 15.

By Tuesday, about 40 MPs were yet to be elected, including 16 legislators whose fate remains unknown in Garbaharrey constituency in Jubbaland State. Officials there have been unable to agree on venue or even delegates.

The South West state stated that neither the Office of the Prime Minister nor the FEIT have roles in the calling, uniting, arranging and implementing the swearing in of the new MPs.

In a similar fashion, Galmudug State issued a statement refuting the FEIT’s new schedule.

“The step taken by FEIT is outside its powers and is inconsistent with the electoral decisions set to be implemented,” Galmudug statement underlined.

“The swearing in of the new legislators is not the mandate of the electoral team,” adding that Galmudug State will not accept any timeline and decision not taken by the NCC.

The Coalition (of the opposition) Presidential Candidates – CPC warned the two states against interfering in the job of the electoral teams. The CPC chaired by Somalia’s Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed asserted that the duty of the FEIT was in fact protected in law as it was the overall agency that plans for election timelines.

So far, Hirshabelle, Jubbaland and Puntland still have more seats pending to be elected but have not commented on the FEIT schedule.

In Garowe, Puntland’s SEIT announced election will take place on Friday, March 18, to fill the pending six seats.

Jubbaland’s SEIT chairman Dr Siyad Mohamed Mursal said last 16 seats will be elected. However, Dr Mursal pointed out that the election will be generally executed within two weeks, giving no specific date.

International partners are now putting pressure on Mogadishu, with the US ambassador to Somalia Larry André calling the election critical for the country’s stability.

The envoy expressed disappointment with Jubbaland, Hirshabelle and Puntland’s failure to meet the March 15 deadline, despite threat of sanctions over the missed target.

“If the next NCC deadline (March 15) is not respected, then we will again take note and names will be added to the list of those restricted from travelling to the United States,” he said, referring to an earlier visa ban on unnamed government officials for obstructing election.

The US embassy in Somalia however is anticipating a successful end of the process, tweeting, “We look forward to meeting Somalia’s new members of parliament after they are sworn-in on April 14 at a time convenient to them.”