President Agrees to Elections Within Seven Months, but Details Remain Unresolved
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has agreed to hold elections within seven months and accepted some of the opposition's demands, following mediation by the country's international partners, according to a report by Somali Stream carried by Somali Guardian. The negotiations, which have proceeded mostly indirectly in recent weeks, saw Mohamud alter key language in his latest response to the opposition's demands.
The president changed the description of the international partners' role from "mediation" to "facilitation," and struck out an opposition demand that the international community serve as guarantors of the talks, replacing it with language designating international partners as "observers" – a role limited to monitoring whether legal procedures are followed in the upcoming elections.
Mohamud also insisted on retaining the phrase "election of the federal government," while apparently declining to give a clear timeline for when the presidential vote would occur. He removed wording committing to holding the presidential election specifically within seven months, even as he broadly accepted that elections overall would take place within that period.
No technical matters have yet been agreed upon by either side. The two sides have not reached agreement on the size of a taskforce they have agreed in principle should be formed to manage the upcoming elections, nor on a timetable. In his message, Mohamud urged international mediators to convey to the opposition that he is ready to hold elections.
Sequencing Dispute: Regional Elections First
Separately, Garowe Online reported that Mohamud, whose term ended in May this year, maintains that his administration's term remains constitutionally legitimate and that discussions on the process for the next federal election should only begin after planned regional elections in Galmudug and Hirshabelle.
According to a report cited by Garowe Online, Mohamud conveyed this position to members of his political camp and international representatives, arguing that federal election discussions could proceed once elections had been completed in Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle, and Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug.
The president is also open to reviving a National Consultative Council process after the regional elections, potentially bringing back Puntland and Jubaland, which previously withdrew from the forum. The proposal has raised concerns among opponents that the sequencing of regional and federal elections could lead to further delays in the country's electoral timetable.
Pressure and Alliances
The concession comes amid sustained pressure from the international community, including neighboring countries, as well as mounting economic strain on his government following reduced international financial support, as reported by Somali Stream via Somali Guardian. Some observers view the shift as a softening of Mohamud's position, after he had earlier insisted his term was extended by one additional year under a parliamentary constitutional change.
Garowe Online reported that Mohamud has been working to strengthen alliances with politicians who share interests in the country's political power-sharing arrangements. Several days earlier, he reportedly rejected efforts to exclude the opposition from discussions on the electoral process, including talks facilitated by Western countries.