Mogadishu (WDN) – Wadajir Party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has argued that Somalia’s prolonged electoral dispute can only be resolved through the creation of a genuinely independent election commission agreed upon by all major political stakeholders.

Speaking as negotiations over the country’s electoral future continue in Mogadishu, Abdishakur said the management of elections must be removed from the control of the Federal Government, federal member states, and political parties alike. Instead, he called for a neutral institution capable of administering a transparent and credible electoral process.

“The Federal Government, the federal member states, the opposition, and the outgoing administrations must jointly agree on an electoral framework that all sides can trust,” he said. Abdishakur stressed that he does not support an electoral system administered solely by the Federal Government or by regional state authorities, arguing that only an independent electoral body can command broad public confidence.

Addressing Somalia’s longstanding 4.5 power-sharing formula, he noted that while parliamentary seats continue to be allocated along clan lines, voting itself should be open to all eligible citizens residing in the constituency where the seat is contested. He said this would represent a significant improvement over previous systems in which electoral outcomes were largely determined by selected delegates or committees perceived to be under the influence of incumbent authorities.

He further argued that any future election commission must enjoy complete institutional independence, with exclusive responsibility for voter registration, election administration, ballot counting, and the official announcement of results, free from political interference.

Abdishakur also criticized the conduct of previous elections in some federal member states, claiming that in certain cases the winners were effectively known before ballots were cast, undermining public confidence in the credibility and competitiveness of the electoral process.

His remarks come as the second round of Somalia’s electoral negotiations continues in Mogadishu under Turkish facilitation. The talks bring together representatives of the Federal Government, the Somali Salvation Council, the Nabad iyo Nolol political movement, and international partners including Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations.

According to informed sources, mediators have received four separate electoral proposals from the participating political groups. Despite continued discussions, however, no final agreement has been reached, with the structure, authority, and independence of the election management body remaining the central point of contention.

As negotiations enter a critical phase, many political observers believe that the question of who manages Somalia’s elections may ultimately prove just as decisive as how those elections are conducted, making the composition of an independent electoral commission one of the most consequential issues in the country’s ongoing search for political consensus.

WardheerNews