International partners on Sunday committed to supporting the implementation of the electoral process in Somalia.
They said they would support the implementation of the process once details are agreed upon by leaders who are due to meet on Monday to break the current election impasse.
The partners made their position known in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu.
The partners, including the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), and other Western countries welcomed the arrival of participants of the government and Federal Member State leaders for the summit to be held in Mogadishu.
“We appeal to Somalia’s leaders to seize this opportunity for a peaceful political settlement leading to elections and to make the necessary compromises in the interest of the Somali nation and its people,” they said.
The international partners stressed that they would not support a partial or parallel electoral process or any initiatives leading to extension of prior mandates.
The statement by the partners comes after President Mohamed Farmajo called for a two-day summit to finalise the election deal based on recommendations of the technical team which met in Baidoa in the southwest region from Feb. 15 to 17.
The partners urged the leaders to convene quickly and to show leadership by building on the Baidoa technical committee proposals to implement the Sept. 17, 2020 electoral model and proceed with elections without delay.
“We also encourage consultation with other stakeholders such as political actors, civil society organisations, and key legislators to listen to their views and ensure broad support for the electoral process,” the partners added.
The Monday meeting is expected to arrive at a way forward for the delayed elections and is considered critical for the sake of entrenching the federal system of governance, which is required to appease communities and regions claiming systematic exclusion and marginalisation for decades.
Somalia on Dec. 1, 2020 missed a deadline to hold its parliamentary elections which were due to begin as agreed by the government and six regional states in September 2020.
Parliamentary and presidential elections were to be held between December 2020 and February 2021, respectively. (Xinhua/NAN)
