President Bihi won’t implement mediation proposals – Somaliland Opposition

Somaliland opposition parties UCID and Waddani said president Muse Bihi will not implement the proposals of the mediation committee for breaking the deadlock over the electoral commission.

 The chairman of Waddani Party, Abdirahman Irro said the president informed them that he could not dismiss the current controversial electoral commission.

In a joint press conference with his UCID counterpart, Faisal Ali Warabe, Abdirahman Irro said the president’s response meant reneging on the mediation committee proposals. 

This came after opposition leaders met with president Bihi at his office earlier today. This was the third meeting between the president and the opposition leaders after both sides accepted the proposals of the mediation committee. 

On the other hand, the ruling party Kulmiye said the did not reject the proposals of the mediation committee. The Second deputy chairman of Kulmiye party Ahmed Abdi Dheere said the government could not find legal grounds to dismiss the electoral commission. He added that his party is ready for any compromise that can lead to an election in the country, provided it’s within the legal framework 

These proposals of the mediation committee were the latest effort to break the deadlock over the electoral commission which precipitated an electoral impasse and legitimacy crisis in the country.  On sixteen December, the committee issued their proposals calling for the dismissal of the controversial commission and reinstating its predecessor which wasn’t much less controversial.

The recommendation was painful on both sides, but the opposition and the government both accepted them Somaliland’s international partners commended the initiative and adopted it as the framework for resolving the deadlock. 

Now, back to square zero, with no resolution in sight, the opposition leaders refused to disclose their next move. Waddani’s chairman, Abdirahman Irro, however, plead with the electoral commission to resign to allow for a timely and badly needed election to take place.