The Himilo Qaran Party, a leading opposition party in Somalia and led by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has issued a warning about the dangers of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s unilateral approach to elections, which they argue risks plunging the country into a state of anarchy and chaos. In a communique released yesterday following a broad consultative meeting in Mogadishu, the party outlined a series of grave concerns about the president’s actions and their potential impact on Somalia’s political, economic, and security stability.
Himilo Qaran Party’s concerns is what it says is the president’s flagrant disregard for the country’s constitution and the principles of separation of powers, transparency, and accountability. According to the communique, President Mohamud has violated his constitutional duties by breaching Article 1, Clause 3 of the Provisional Constitution, which upholds Somalia’s sovereignty and unity as inviolable. He has also failed to protect national cohesion, undermining the federal system and contravening Article 3, Clause 3 of the constitution.
The Party further argues that the president has bypassed legal constitutional processes to impose a unilateral framework for elections that serves his own interests, rather than those of the Somali people. This includes the establishment of an electoral commission without legal mandate, in violation of Articles 111E and 111G of the Provisional Constitution. The Himilo Qaran Party has categorically rejected this commission, arguing that its formation disregarded legal frameworks and impartiality, rendering it unacceptable to political organizations and civil society.
The Danger of Fake Election Promises
The Himilo Qaran Party’s warning about the dangers of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s fake election promises is rooted in an understanding of Somalia’s complex political landscape and the challenges of building a stable and inclusive democratic system in a country that has been plagued by decades of conflict and instability.
Somalia’s history is littered with examples of leaders who have used the promise of elections as a tool to consolidate their own power and suppress opposition, rather than as a means of promoting democratic participation and accountability. From the days of Siad Barre’s military dictatorship to the more recent struggles between the federal government and regional states, the country has seen its fair share of fake election promises that have ultimately led to greater instability and violence.
In the current context, President Hassan Shekh Mohamud’s unilateral approach to elections risks repeating this pattern, by creating a political process that is fundamentally flawed and unrepresentative of the will of the Somali people. By establishing an electoral commission without legal mandate and without the participation of key political and civil society stakeholders, the president is effectively setting the stage for a sham election that will only serve to further entrench his own power and marginalize opposition voices.
The consequences of such a flawed electoral process could be devastating for Somalia’s already fragile political and security situation. If the president proceeds with a unilateral election that is widely perceived as illegitimate, it could spark widespread protests and civil unrest, as opposition groups and ordinary citizens take to the streets to demand a more inclusive and transparent process. This, in turn, could create a security vacuum that could be exploited by extremist groups like Al-Shabaab, which have shown a remarkable ability to adapt to changing political circumstances and exploit instability for their own gain.
