Somalia President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has appealed to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Security Forces to secure the coming parliamentary and presidential elections slated before the end of the year.
President Mohamud said the elections would be a turning point for Somalia in its steady progress to peace and stabilization. He, however, asked security forces to be on alert, adding that the terror group, Al-Shabaab, may seek to disrupt the process and prevent voters from exercising their democratic rights.
The elections will be a watershed because it will be the first time in more than 40 years that 14,025 electorates will elect the leaders. This will be an increase in representation compared to the last elections in 2012, where a council of 135 elders represented the electorate.
The head of state made the appeal on Saturday night at a dinner, he hosted for the police and military commanders of AMISOM, the Somali National Army and Somali Police Force at Villa Somalia, the presidential palace, in Mogadishu.
In attendance were Somali government officials, top AMISOM officials led by the Special Representative of the African Union Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, and his Deputy (DSRCC), Lydia Wanyoto, as well as diplomats from Troop Contributing Countries.
The President praised AMISOM’s efforts in the fight against Al-Shabaab as well as supporting the country’s federal state formation process.