The National Independent Electoral Commission of Somalia has stated that parliamentary seats allocated to areas where elections cannot be held—or which are unable to participate in the electoral process—may instead be represented through seats elected from other parts of the country.
The Chairperson of the Commission explained that the electoral system they are developing is based on a single, nationwide constituency. This means that Federal Parliament seats represent the entire country, rather than representation being strictly confined to the specific locality where a seat was elected.
As an example, he noted that a seat elected from districts such as Karan, Galkayo, or Baidoa could represent the whole country, adding that the Commission will utilize this approach for conducting the federal elections.
The Chairperson further stated that elections will be held in areas accessible to the Commission, while acknowledging that there are parts of the country that cannot be reached due to insecurity, as well as other locations where the Commission is unable to conduct elections.
The committee’s statement comes at a time when the Puntland and Jubbaland regional administrations are not participating in the electoral process currently being prepared. Furthermore, there are ongoing political disputes between the Federal Government and certain opposition politicians regarding the modalities for conducting the country’s elections.
The chairperson of the committee stated that his body’s mandate is to implement elections as stipulated by law. He noted that elections for local councils and representative assemblies in some regional states have already been concluded, while preparations are now underway for federal-level elections.
He added that the committee intends to conduct elections in all areas that can be reached, emphasizing that the “single-constituency” (or single-electoral-district) system serves as the foundation for their plan.
