Forum for national parties release press statement on Somalia’s 2021 elections

Forum for national parties release press statement on Somalia’s 2021 elections

The leaders of the forum for national parties in Somalia have issued a press statement on 2021 elections after they had highly sensitive virtual discussions on Friday.

This virtual conference was led by Sheikh Sharif sh. Ahmed, a former president of Somalia and the current chairman of forum for national parties, an alliance of the most influential political parties in the country. 

The aim of this conference was to push ahead with the plans to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in early 2021 on time, as Somalia’s national plan goes, while removing doubts that the elections will be delayed due to the fears posed by the spread of Covid-19. On top of that, the forum for national parties urged the current Somali federal government to hold free and fair elections in the country while avoiding the aftermath of mayhem and nationwide chaos as a result of election irregularities.

The forum for national parties has also advised the Somali parliament not to accept any intentional agendas to postpone the elections and to take their check and balance roles of keeping the government in check. The Somalia national electoral commission is planned to attend a parliamentary hearing on the 27^th of this month regarding the proceedings of the country’s elections.

On the other hand, the top leaders of the forum for national parties have reiterated that they are ready to take part in a fair and free election as far as they are concerned.

The Horn-of-Africa nation has endured two decades of civil war, and is contending with the worst desert-locust Invasion in recent history and an insurgency by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization. The government is seeking debt relief as the coronavirus pandemic adds to its fuel to the already ravaged country — it has confirmed more than 2,200 cases and Somalia’s health system is ill-equipped to deal with the outbreak.