MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somali National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) has started plans to holds by-elections of three parliamentary seats scheduled to take place in two regional states.
The chairperson of the NIEC, Halima Ismail Yarey who spoke to media on Sunday said the commission will soon hold the elections of these seats.
The elections of the three parliamentary seats will be held in Southwest and Galmudug states, according to Ms. Yarey.
“Today, 19th of August 2018, the Commission hereby announces that it will prepare plans to hold elections of these parliamentary seats in time,” she said.
She directed the traditional elders of the respective clans of these parliamentary seats to submit the names of the electoral delegates who participate in the soon-to-be-held elections.
According to the commission, 153 electoral delegates who will vote among the contenders will participate in the elections which will be held in Baidoa and Adado towns.
The electoral college system was instituted in 2016 whereby over 135 clan elders chose 14,025 delegates who then voted for each of the 275 seats in the lower house of parliament, distributed according to clan.
Elections of two parliamentary seats which were vacated Mr. Hussein Osman Hussein and Khalif Sheikh Abdullahi will be held in Baidoa, the administrative capital of Baidoa where the election of third vacated by Abdukadir Gafow Mohamud will take place in Adado town.
Since 2004 Somalia has held three polls. But regular Somalis are yet to cast any ballots.
The country has relied on a clan-based formula in which the lawmakers were selected by the clan elders and delegates and then the legislators elect the president.
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