This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
Published on July 27, 2019
Jubbaland President Ahmed Islam Madobe has suspended cooperation with the Somalia federal government, citing manipulation of local elections scheduled for August 24.
Madobe made the announcement after a meeting with his council of ministers, stating that there would be no further engagement with Mogadishu until issues around electoral planning were sorted out.
The government in Mogadishu, led by President Mohammed Farmaajo, was accused of trying to manipulate the local elections. The exact method of manipulation was not clear, but it came as Madobe tightened the programme for elections in the federal state, despite protests from Mogadishu.
The protests centered around the composition of a key electoral elders council, which Mogadishu claimed included people not cleared by security agencies. However, Madobe dismissed the protest, saying the local electoral bodies were working within the law.
The elders council is a crucial body in the electoral process, responsible for selecting candidates for the 75 parliamentary slots in the Jubbaland Assembly. The council will nominate three candidates per post, using criteria that has not been published, and then send the 225 names back to the electoral commission, which will pick one from each set to form the 75-member Jubbaland parliament.
