South West regional state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen strongly supported completing the Somali Constitution and implementing the National Consultative Council (NCC) agreement in Baidoa on May 27, 2023.
Speaking at a meeting between federal lawmakers elected from South West state and regional lawmakers on Tuesday, the President underscored that reshaping the country’s political system is a collective responsibility.
In May of the previous year, the National Consultative Council (NCC), including federal leaders such as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, along with four regional leaders and the Mayor of Mogadishu, agreed to introduce direct elections as early as next year and unify the election schedules, endorsing the establishment of a presidential system for the country.
According to the NCC agreements, the local council elections are set to take place on June 30 of next year, followed by regional parliamentary and regional leadership elections on November 30 of the same year. The leaders had agreed that only two political parties would compete for power in the country.
However, the NCC’s agreement is expected to be submitted to Parliament for approval in the coming weeks. Notwithstanding, Several prominent politicians, including the former President Sheikh Sharif and Prime Ministers, opposed the agreements, and the Somali Parliament to respect the Constitution, the laws of the country, and the bylaws of the Parliament.
