(07-12-23) GAROWE (HN) — Puntland’s Regional State Parliament on Thursday voted to extend its tenure by an additional year, following recent developments in the ongoing election dispute. This decision came after Wednesday’s resolution from the SSC-Khatumo traditional committee.
The SSC-Khatumo committee focused on resolving the election impasse and suggested a plan whereby the current parliament members would be responsible for electing the president and vice president. This move is to be followed by a fresh parliamentary election based on the one-person, one-vote model, scheduled to take place twelve months hence.
This endorsement by the regional parliament effectively dismisses the annexe previously issued by the president as obsolete. The parliament has now assumed control over electoral decisions.
The Speaker of Parliament, Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril, has announced plans to form a committee charged with electing the president and vice president imminently.
President Said Deni, in a statement Wednesday evening, revealed a shift back to an indirect election model. This move aligns with recent demands from the opposition. President Deni acknowledged that given the current situation, it seemed prudent to revert to the traditional indirect election process, where clan leaders play a pivotal role in choosing members of the regional parliament.
This announcement comes a month after the Puntland Electoral Commission disclosed a schedule for a one-person, one-vote election. This plan, strongly backed by President Deni, faced opposition, with critics labelling it as a strategy to extend his tenure. The feasibility of conducting a one-person, one-vote election within a short time frame has been a significant point of contention.
Halqabsi News
