Wadajir Leader Calls for Independent Election Commission as Key to Breaking Somalia’s Political Deadlock

Mogadishu (WDN) – Wadajir Party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has argued that Somalia’s prolonged electoral dispute can only be resolved through the creation of a genuinely independent election commission agreed upon by all major political stakeholders.

Speaking as negotiations over the country’s electoral future continue in Mogadishu, Abdishakur said the management of elections must be removed from the control of the Federal Government, federal member states, and political parties alike. Instead, he called for a neutral institution capable of administering a transparent and credible electoral process.

“The Federal Government, the federal member states, the opposition, and the outgoing administrations must jointly agree on an electoral framework that all sides can trust,” he said. Abdishakur stressed that he does not support an electoral system administered solely by the Federal Government or by regional state authorities, arguing that only an independent electoral body can command broad public confidence.

Addressing Somalia’s longstanding 4.5 power-sharing formula, he noted that while parliamentary seats continue to be allocated along clan lines, voting itself should be open to all eligible citizens residing in the constituency where the seat is contested. He said this would represent a significant improvement over previous systems in which electoral outcomes were largely determined by selected delegates or committees perceived to be under the influence of incumbent authorities.