MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Preparations are underway in the southern port city of Kismayo for high-stakes talks between Somalia’s main opposition figures and the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland, as tensions rise over the federal government’s insistence on holding a direct nationwide vote despite limited time and preparations.
Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe), Puntland President Saeed Abdullahi Deni, and senior opposition leaders – including former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire – are expected to attend. They are all members of the recently formed Somali Future Council, a political bloc seeking to coordinate resistance to the government’s electoral and constitutional plans.
The federal government maintains it will proceed with a “one person, one vote” election spanning municipal, state and national levels. However, with barely five months left in its term and no visible groundwork for such an exercise, critics argue the proposal is unrealistic and risks plunging the country into a deeper political crisis.
The Kismayo meeting aims to forge a united stance against what participants describe as an attempted term extension for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration. They have also rejected recent constitutional amendments championed by the government, calling them illegal and unconstitutional.
Talks are expected to centre on preventing a political vacuum, preserving consensus-based electoral management, and ensuring that any transition adheres to previously agreed-upon frameworks.
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