Former Somali President and opposition MP lashes out at FGS parliament for unlawful approval of poll commission

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The former president of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and MP Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame have strongly opposed the action taken by the members of the two Houses of the Somali Parliament, which approved the constitution of the independent poll commission for the country’s elections.

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who spoke at a press conference held in Mogadishu, questioned Villa Somalia’s plan to hold elections, pointing out that the federal member states of Jubbaland, Puntland and the interim administration of SSC are not part of the process.

He accused the Federal Government of Somalia for implementing poll plans without due consultation with the regional governments, which he said shows a blatant abuse of the country’s electoral process.

Sheikh Sharif also said that the work of the country’s parliament has become crippled, accusing that the current laws being implemented, especially the electoral commission law being done through the illegal processes and not following the correct legal procedures.

Meanwhile, MP Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame strongly criticized the current parliament, describing it as even more “weaker” than a military regime.

MP Abdishakur made serious accusations against the speakers of the two Houses of the Somali Federal Parliament adding that taking decisions such as the approval of the election commission was illegal.

MPs from the Jubbaland regional government have also declared that they were not part of the approval of the electoral commission, which they described as inconsistent with the previous agreements signed between the federal government of Somalia and the regional governments.