By Ahmed
Abdihadi
The National
Consultative Forum has concluded two weeks meeting in Mogadishu after-midnight
on Sunday. The meeting was also presented by the UN and members of International community and discussed key topics. The stakeholders agreed:
1. Expanding Upperhouse members from 54
to 72.
2. Allowing nullified and disqualified
candidates to re-contest again.
3. Regional state leaders will nominate
the new added seats for the upper house and Federal President Hassan Sheikh
will pass them by decree.
4. Lowerhouse MPs should be sworn on 27.
Dec.
Analysis
The meeting
was one most important gathering for NLF since its birth. Regional States and
Federal Government leadership unlike previous times were in same page. The
Forum chastised dispute Resolution mechanism commission for their decision to
disqualified and nullified 11seats. The UN, and International Community has
taken strong stance not to let the National consultative forum make the work of
Dispute Resolution Commission go in vain. One surprise decision by the forum is
the expansion of Upperhouse to 18members. Somali provisional Constitution
clearly states that Upperhouse members should be 54 members.
These members will
be equally distributed to 18 geographical regions of the country. The overnight
decision to ignore the stipulation of the constitution and public opinion is
manifestation of last four years work of Somali leadership.
The country
has no active political parties, working judicial System, or political institution
that can challenge the decisions of the Forum.
UN Special representative and some handful western countries left to
make meaningful objections. We do not still have official response from UN or
the American Embassy in Mogadishu. One predictable response is that if they
accept the extra seats , they may challenge the methods. Elections should be
uniform not arbitrary.
Another
Development is that National consultative Forum still asserts to reversal the
decisions of election commissions regarding 11 seats. most of disregarded
eleven seats holder are either members of regional state leaders inner cycle or
the Federal leadership. The Forum is committed to design elections of these
seats in way of that current belligerent holder will be bound it again.
