MOGADISHU — Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble on Tuesday called for national consultative talks aimed at speeding up the electoral process which has faced delays across the country.
Roble, who has been tasked with the overall management of the elections, said the meeting which brings together both the government and five federal member states will be held in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Dec. 27.
“The meeting will take place in Mogadishu, and will focus on accelerating the electoral process, streamlining and completing the country’s national electoral process,” he said in a brief statement issued in Mogadishu.
The statement comes as parliamentary elections which kicked off in November are proceeding smoothly in all regional administrations in the country albeit slowly.
The country’s electoral body had set Dec. 24 as the deadline for completion of the parliamentary elections but less than ten of the 275 seats have been filled so far.
The government and five leaders of the federal member states resolved last year to be holding the national consultative meetings to accelerate the electoral process.
The 54-member Senate and the 275 members of parliament from the Lower House are expected to jointly elect a new president in early 2022.
This year’s election, which is the third since Somalia got its first internationally recognized government after the civil war, involves the biggest number of electors since 2012.
