Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has warned against compulsory voter registration in the run-up to elections.
Former President Sharif said that he would be left with a great shame and embarrassment if elections were held without political parties participating in mobilizing their supporters.
Sharif accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of driving political division in the country, which he said could lead to political collapse from which there is no recovery.
He said the president had divided the opposition in order to hold a rigged election that would not allow a real opposition to compete.
“It happened that people were being manipulated, that people who did not live in Mogadishu, who came from distant regions or who came from abroad, were being forcibly registered. These issues are spoiling the long-awaited elections. The constitution states that a person has the right to choose to register,” said former President Sharif.
The former Somali president also said that President Hassan Sheikh has turned away from the fight against Al-Shabaab and Ethiopia’s desire for Somali independence, adding that the president has repeatedly ignored calls from the country’s opposition.
He called on President Hassan Sheikh to return to the legal path and reverse the amendments he made to the country’s constitution.
However, the Somali government has delayed the registration of local government elections in parts of the country. President Hassan Sheikh has said that no matter what happens, there will be no turning back from implementing one-person, one-vote elections in the country.
Some of the opposition parties are now leading the way in organizing these elections.
