• News
  • Sport
  • TV
  • Radio
  • Education
  • TV Licences
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • SCI-TECH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION
Home Africa

Somali president challenged in his bid to secure new term

21 February 2021, 9:40 PM  |
Reuters Reuters |  @SABCNews
The delay has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation that was ripped apart by civil war.

The delay has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation that was ripped apart by civil war.

Image: Reuters

The delay has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation that was ripped apart by civil war.

Somalia’s president, whose four-year term expired this month, should not take part in talks aimed at resolving a dispute that has caused a delay in choosing a new head of state, one of Somalia’s five regional governments said on Sunday.

Parliament had been due to make a choice on February 8, but this was delayed because new lawmakers have yet to be picked while opponents of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is seeking a second term, accuse him of packing his supporters into the regional and national boards who choose the legislators.

The delay has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation that was ripped apart by civil war and which is still battling an insurgency by al Shabaab, a militant group that frequently launches attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

The government of Jubbaland, one of Somalia’s five regions, said the president’s term had expired and he should be excluded from any talks on the dispute.

“He should not have a role in the process of election in order for all political stakeholders to have confidence in it,” Jubbaland’s state house said in a statement.

The constitution allows the head of state to continue in post until a new president is picked, if parliament approves. But experts say the president, by staying on, risks upsetting the delicate power balance between rival clans and regions that is at the heart of the nation’s political reconstruction effort.

The central government spokesman did not immediately respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

The president held a meeting on Sunday with the prime minister and presidents of the Hirshabele, Galmudug and South West states, as well UN representatives and Mogadishu’s mayor.

The meeting was reported by the state-run Somalia News Agency. The Facebook page of the president’s office said it was a preliminary meeting without saying when more talks would be held.

An alliance of opposition parties said in early February they would reject any attempt to extend Mohamed’s term, calling a national council of lawmakers, opposition leaders and civil society to rule until a successor was chosen.

Government troops and opposition supporters exchanged gunfire in Mogadishu on Friday during a protest over the delayed vote. Rival presidential candidates have called for more protests until a new head of state is chosen.

Somalia had planned to hold elections to pick a president and lawmakers, its first direct vote since the civil war erupted in 1991. But delays in preparations and al Shabaab attacks meant this was replaced by an indirect vote in which lawmakers are picked by selected elders and others.

Share article
Tags: SomaliMohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Previous Post

Excitement as Kuruman River flows after more than 4 decades

Next Post

SA records 1 503 796 COVID-19 cases, 49 053 deaths

Related Posts

Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi attends a signing ceremony as QatarEnergy joins TotalEnergies and Eni to explore Lebanon's offshore oil and gas, in Beirut, Lebanon January 29, 2023.

Italian prosecutors drop Congo case against Eni CEO

9 February 2023, 9:47 AM
Soldiers guard positions near the Naaba Koom military base in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. (File)

Gunmen kill two MSF workers in west Burkina Faso

8 February 2023, 9:17 PM
[File photo] A Nigerian woman, unnamed to protect her identity, who told Reuters she received an abortion under a secret program run by the Nigerian military, poses for a portrait in an undisclosed location in Nigeria, September 28, 2020.

Nigeria panel conducting army probe says it will refer rights violators for prosecution

7 February 2023, 6:03 PM
A doctor's office

Health Ministers’ Conference to look at ways to tackle pandemics

7 February 2023, 10:56 AM
UN Oryx helicopter came under fire and a crew member was killed

UN peacekeeping mission condemns fatal shooting of SA soldier in Goma

6 February 2023, 9:04 PM
A smartphone with Facebook's logo is seen in front of displayed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta in this illustration taken October 28, 2021.

Meta can be sued in Kenya by ex-content moderator, the country’s court rules

6 February 2023, 1:19 PM
Next Post
The cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 892 515 with 24 856 new tests recorded since the last report.

SA records 1 503 796 COVID-19 cases, 49 053 deaths

Most Viewed

  • 24hrs
  • Week
  • Month
  • Green comet to be visible from SA next week
  • SA Weather Service warns of maximum temperatures in Cape Town
  • VIDEO: Mabuza resigns as SA Deputy President
  • Weather Service issues severe weather warnings for parts of Eastern Cape, Gauteng
  • Budding Stellenbosch FC star reportedly stabbed to death
  • Parts of the Northern Cape to be exempted from rolling blackouts
  • Green comet to be visible from SA next week
  • Registration at Unisa closes on Friday, but management says no need to panic
  • VIDEO | St Benedict College’s Matric learner gets 11 distinctions
  • Limpopo matriculant from child-headed household attains diploma pass
  • Weather Service issues severe weather warnings for parts of Eastern Cape, Gauteng
  • ‘Sisulu should be fired for her unacceptable behaviour’
  • Gauteng’s Health Department confirms a third case of cholera in Johannesburg
  • Six Eskom power stations identified as primary cause of rolling blackouts
  • Disruptions to President’s SONA will be firmly dealt with: Mapisa-Nqakula

LATEST

A stop and go is seen at the R30 road in Allanridge in the Free State on 09 January 2023.
  • SONA 2023
  • South Africa

Free State residents infuriated by appalling state of roads


Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi attends a signing ceremony as QatarEnergy joins TotalEnergies and Eni to explore Lebanon's offshore oil and gas, in Beirut, Lebanon January 29, 2023.
  • Africa

Italian prosecutors drop Congo case against Eni CEO


A pregnant woman holds her tummy
  • Sci-tech

Depression during pregnancy becoming a common occurrence for SA women


Sign board of the Thabazimbi Municipality offices.
  • SONA 2023
  • South Africa

Limpopo community urge President to address challenges facing their municipality


Tap dripping with water.
  • South Africa

Planned maintenance to affect water supply in areas around Joburg


Flood warning road sign.
  • South Africa

Emergency services evacuate a further 75 people in Komani 


Weather

  • About the SABC
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Site Map

SABC © 2023

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • SCI-TECH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION

© 2022

Previous Excitement as Kuruman River flows after more than 4 decades
Next SA records 1 503 796 COVID-19 cases, 49 053 deaths