By Goth Mohamed Goth
Mogadishu i-Today’s meeting between the Federal Government of Somalia and opposition politicians ended without an agreement on the most critical points related to the country’s electoral process.
The meeting, which lasted several hours, took place inside a heavily secured area at Aden Adde International Airport — specifically at a facility belonging to NISA (the National Intelligence and Security Agency).
The government side was represented by the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Salah Ahmed Jama. The opposition was led by the President of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, and former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
According to sources, representatives from the U.S. and British embassies were present at the start of the meeting and played a role in opening the talks, but later withdrew to allow the Somali leaders to continue their discussions directly.
During the meeting, the opposition insisted on a comprehensive discussion of electoral issues — including those related to federal member states — expressing concern about the current process.
President Hassan Sheikh and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, for their part, defended the government’s plan for direct elections, which are already taking place in the districts of the Southwest administration. The government leaders stated that this electoral process is a mechanism to expand popular political participation and that technical preparations must be made for its implementation.
President Said Abdullahi Deni and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed argued that the electoral dispute cannot be resolved without reaching a comprehensive political agreement that includes the federal member states.
The representatives from the U.S. and British embassies returned to the meeting after the discussions became more intense.
Ultimately, the two sides agreed to continue negotiations and to hold another meeting tomorrow, Thursday.
