Power struggle over elections: Somalia’s president removes head of government

Power struggle for elections
Somalia’s president removes head of government

For months the president and head of government in Somalia have been fighting over the next election. Both sides cover themselves with allegations. Now the head of state removes his opponent from office. He defends himself. Outside the country, concerns about new burdens in the already unstable situation are increasing.

The government crisis is worsening in Somalia. After months of power struggle, President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed announced the suspension of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who in turn denounced the President’s constitutional breach. The background to the conflict is the presidential election that has been postponed for months. International observers fear that the East African country, which is characterized by violence and insecurity, will slide further into instability.

Farmajo has decided to “suspend the prime minister and deprive him of his powers,” said the office of the president. Roble is involved in “corruption”. Local reports have increased the military presence outside the prime minister’s office in the capital, Mogadishu. Apparently, however, the head of government was not prevented from entering the premises.

Roble accused Farmajo of “wanting to usurp the office of prime minister by force”. A statement from Roble’s office said he was “determined not to let anyone prevent him from fulfilling his national obligations and to lead the country to elections that pave the way for a peaceful change of power”.

The crisis has been smoldering for months

It was only on Sunday that Roble accused the president of sabotaging the electoral process: the head of state did not want a “credible election”. Farmajo had previously withdrawn the Prime Minister’s mandate to organize the election. The president accuses Roble of intervening in an investigation into a land grabbing scandal and of having put pressure on the defense minister in this context. Farmajo has been President of Somalia since 2017. His term of office normally ended on February 8 of this year.

The ongoing postponement of the presidential election has been paralyzing politics in Somalia for months. In April there was street fighting between pro-government and opposition militants in Mogadishu after Farmajo extended his term of office by two years without holding an election. The constitutional crisis ended for the time being after Farmajo revoked the extension of his term and Roble negotiated a schedule for holding elections. In the following months, however, the power struggle between the two men at the top of the state intensified again – the elections were postponed again.

Militias control large parts of the country

There is no general election in Somalia. The two chambers of parliament are elected through a complex indirect electoral system. The president is then elected by the senators and the deputies of the lower house. The election to the House of Commons began in early November. A date for the presidential election is not in sight.

The crisis is also affecting Somalia’s relations with Western countries. The US recently declared its “deep concern” at the “ongoing postponements” in the election and the “irregularities” in the electoral process.

Experts warn that the political crisis in Somalia could fuel the massive security problems in the country. Large parts of Somalia are controlled by the Shebab militia, which is allied with the extremist network Al-Qaeda. The militia is fighting against the internationally recognized government in Mogadishu and has repeatedly carried out attacks in the capital.

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