By Mohamed Abdiqafar Haji Hussein
The majority of Somali people wanted the newly elected Somali parliamentarians of both houses, to vote for change in the election which took place on February 8, 2017, but others were afraid based on the situation on the ground that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud might be re-elected. Ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud not only had the backing of the international community led by Michael Keating; but he also had the support of all the regional state presidents whom he had supported in their political ambitions.
Before the new parliamentarians were elected, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was basically the only dictator of the election process. Although most Somalis opposed the 4.5 system, Mr. Mohamud opted for it, thinking it was the only system by which he could be re-elected. The night before the election, it was reported that Hassan Sheikh Mohamud invited at least 220 parliamentarians to show that he had their support.
Consequently, a lot of people thought he was destined for re-election, even though they knew his presidency had been a failure. When President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president on September 10, 2012, he promised that his first task was to secure the safety of the city of Mogadishu. However, Amnesty International’s 2015/2016 Report stated that “Over 500 people were killed or injured by armed conflict and generalized violence, and at least 50,000 people were displaced” in Somalia. President Hassan nominated three prime ministers over the course of only four years; as a result, not one had enough time to implement whatever plan they had in mind.
Also, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud created regional states from the top down instead of the bottom up, where constituents elect the president of their choosing. He failed to deliver on another promise he had made at the end of his term in 2016, which was one person, one vote. As well, he postponed at least three times the election which was originally scheduled to take place in August last year, hoping the delay would give him time to secure enough votes to be re-elected.
Eventually, the election took place in Mogadishu on February 8, 2016, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Faramaajo was easily elected as the new Somali president for the next four years. Twenty-one out of the 23 candidates running for the president agreed to a simple formula: whoever obtains the most votes in the first round should be supported by all the others. The candidates wanted a change of leadership, no matter which one of them wins. Newly elected president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Faramaajo obtained 72 votes in the first round, coming second to the ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who obtained 88 votes. Faramaajo thus became by default the one to be supported.
In the second round, Faramaajo obtained 184 votes compared to ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s 97 votes; the other ex-president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed obtained 43 votes. Before the third round started, Hassan Sheikh Mohamed realized that even if he receives all the 43 votes for Sheikh Sharif Shiekh Ahmed, he would get 143 votes, which was still 41 votes short.
President Faramaajo was also the only candidate in the second round that represented change. Ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and ex-prime minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake were the leaders of the former government, and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was the president whom President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defeated in 2012.
President Faramaajo made progress with improving the security of the city of Mogadishu during his premiership in 2011/2012, among other achievements, making him the best option of the three candidates.
The election process seemed to be transparent. The committees handling the election process, led by the speaker of the parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari, succeeded in making sure the outcome of the election would be something that Somali people could be proud of. To avoid anyone coming in with preprinted paper, money, or other methods of corruption, no parliamentarian entering the voting location was allowed to carry in money, cell phone, papers, or pens.
It was decided the night before the election and announced the morning of the voting that the ballot papers would be printed at the location before each round, with a predetermined color being decided few minutes before each round. The voting boxes were see-through, to make it clear to everyone there were no ballots inside the boxes before the start of the voting round. As a result, no matter what deal was concocted outside the voting booth, this process gave each parliamentarian confidence that his or her vote was not corrupted and everyone could vote according to their conscience.
Now the voting is over, and it is a time for action. Somali people cannot afford another day wasted. The new President Faramaajo should nominate as soon as possible a prime minister whom he thinks can implement the change needed. Ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took two months before his Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon named his cabinets. Today, Somali people cannot afford two months before a new cabinet starts working for the people. There are more issues to be solved today than there were in 2012. In this situation, the only way that a new president and prime minister can survive—and achieve the required progress is if they accomplish something every day. Every day the president wastes in his first 100 days is a day Somali people cannot afford.
Mohamed Abdiqafar Haji Hussein
Email:[email protected]
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