BLOCKING POLITICAL PARTY MEETINGS: A DANGEROUS GAME

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Blocking political Party meetings is a dangerous game This week president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered the suspension of a meeting of 5 Somali political Parties which wanted to join forces to oppose his government in the next election. On the day of the meeting the venue was taken over by national security officers and the meeting was disbanded. Despite this legal violation and physical intimidation, the political parties have vowed to break this ban and go ahead with their meeting. The blocking of political activity and organisations freedom of assembly and speech is a breach of Somalia’s provisional constitution. The constitution in the last 2 years under Hassan Sheikh under went changes that make it incompatible with itself. Anyone reading the constitution with its 4"amended" chapters as the government likes to call it will see it is incoherent and not implementable. Add to this a non- functioning constitutional court, divisions with most federal member states and a unconstitutional election commission chosen from the presidents friends, the whole one man, one vote agenda is discredited. All the opposition parties and Jubbaland and Puntland states have completely rejected the illegal constitutional changes by president Hassan Sheikh. They also oppose the national election commission. The international partners are very concerned that this exclusive one man show process can open the door for more political instability. The government is trying very hard to protect the incompetent prime minister Hamza Barre from a motion of no confidence in Parliament once it opens. This is why president Hassan Sheikh and his prime minister are coercing the Speaker Adan Madobe to delay the opening of the next session until after Ramadan. These tactics are so far working but will cause big political tensions which can spillover into violence. The democratic process in Somalia belongs to everyone and must be inclusive. President Hassan Sheikh wants to create an electoral systems designed to fit him only. This is not going to work in Somalia.
Blocking political Party meetings is a dangerous game This week president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered the suspension of a meeting of 5 Somali political Parties which wanted to join forces to oppose his government in the next election. On the day of the meeting the venue was taken over by national security officers and the meeting was disbanded. Despite this legal violation and physical intimidation, the political parties have vowed to break this ban and go ahead with their meeting. The blocking of political activity and organisations freedom of assembly and speech is a breach of Somalia’s provisional constitution. The constitution in the last 2 years under Hassan Sheikh under went changes that make it incompatible with itself. Anyone reading the constitution with its 4"amended" chapters as the government likes to call it will see it is incoherent and not implementable. Add to this a non- functioning constitutional court, divisions with most federal member states and a unconstitutional election commission chosen from the presidents friends, the whole one man, one vote agenda is discredited. All the opposition parties and Jubbaland and Puntland states have completely rejected the illegal constitutional changes by president Hassan Sheikh. They also oppose the national election commission. The international partners are very concerned that this exclusive one man show process can open the door for more political instability. The government is trying very hard to protect the incompetent prime minister Hamza Barre from a motion of no confidence in Parliament once it opens. This is why president Hassan Sheikh and his prime minister are coercing the Speaker Adan Madobe to delay the opening of the next session until after Ramadan. These tactics are so far working but will cause big political tensions which can spillover into violence. The democratic process in Somalia belongs to everyone and must be inclusive. President Hassan Sheikh wants to create an electoral systems designed to fit him only. This is not going to work in Somalia.

This week president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered the suspension of a meeting of 5 Somali political Parties which wanted to join forces to oppose his government in the next election. On the day of the meeting the venue was taken over by national security officers and the meeting was disbanded. Despite this legal violation and physical intimidation, the political parties have vowed to break this ban and go ahead with their meeting.

The blocking of political activity and organisations freedom of assembly and speech is a breach of Somalia’s provisional constitution. The constitution in the last 2 years under Hassan Sheikh under went changes that make it incompatible with itself. Anyone reading the constitution with its 4″amended” chapters as the government likes to call it will see it is incoherent and not implementable. Add to this a non- functioning constitutional court, divisions with most federal member states and a unconstitutional election commission chosen from the presidents friends, the whole one man, one vote agenda is discredited.

All the opposition parties and Jubbaland and Puntland states have completely rejected the illegal constitutional changes by president Hassan Sheikh. They also oppose the national election commission. The international partners are very concerned that this exclusive one man show process can open the door for more political instability.

The government is trying very hard to protect the incompetent prime minister Hamza Barre from a motion of no confidence in Parliament once it opens. This is why president Hassan Sheikh and his prime minister are coercing the Speaker Adan Madobe to delay the opening of the next session until after Ramadan. These tactics are so far working but will cause big political tensions which can spillover into violence.

The democratic process in Somalia belongs to everyone and must be inclusive. President Hassan Sheikh wants to create an electoral systems designed to fit him only. This is not going to work in Somalia.