MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – UN envoy to Somalia James Swan has welcomed the nomination of the State Independent Elections Team (SIET) by Puntland and Jubbaland states.
James who today arrived in Jowhar town of Hirshabelle state termed the move a breakthrough to resolve the ongoing electoral deadlock.
“UN envoy James was in Jowhar today to speak with Hirshabelle’s President @GudlaweHussein about #UN support for the Federal Member State – and also gave an initial welcome to some recent developments with Somalia’s #electoral impasse,” UN said in a Twitter post.
Puntland and Jubbaland on Thursday announced SIET members who will be charged with overseeing the election of Members of Parliament (MPs) through a clan delegates system. Each team is made up of eight members.
The two leaders of Puntland and Jubbaland states, Said Abdullahi Deni and Ahmed Mohamed Madobe respectively also called for an inclusive meeting on January 30 in Mogadishu which would be discussing the election matters.
For past two weeks, international community has been trying to convince Somalia’s stakeholders to to resolve their political differences at the negotiating table.
The UN envoy to Somalia James Swan travelled to Kismayo, Baidoa, Garowe and Dhusamareeb towns to the heads of regional state to discuss the fate of the upcoming elections.
Somalia was expected to hold its parliamentary and presidential elections last year but the fate of the poll has been hanging in balance ever since political stakeholders differed over the electoral committees appointed by the federal and regional governments.
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