Somalia Presidential Election Transparent But With High Security Threats

The EASF Election Observer Mission issued its preliminary statement, in Mogadishu on Monday 16^th May after the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won with 214 votes against former President, Mr Abudallahi Farmajo with 110 votes.

 The EASF Election Observer Mission was the only International Observer group accredited to observe the process which was restricted to 328 newly elected Members of Parliament instead of broader participation because of security threats in the country. President Hassan Mohamud was elected after the round of voting. The only female candidate the former Foreign Minister, Fawzia Yusuf Adam, was eliminated in the first voting round and the Speaker of the Parliament Hon. Adan Mohamed Noor was the Presiding Officer for the voting process.

At the end of its observation, the EASF EOM concludes that the Presidential Election of 15th May 2022 in the Federal Republic of Somalia was conducted in a transparent, relatively peaceful manner and with a high level of political maturity. EASF congratulates the newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on his victory and calls on political leaders to maintain a peaceful and serene environment for the prosperity of the country and proposes the following recommendations.

1. Finalise the provisional Constitution and organize voting based on the Universal Suffrage principle, whereby the population will be able to vote on the proposed constitution
2. Set up the necessary framework to allow for the registration and functioning of political parties and to create a conducive environment for political parties to operate
3. Encourage more engagement with the Civil Society in matters of civic education
4. Encourage more women to participate in the political process of the country
5. Set up an independent Election Commission with appropriate electoral legislation in place.

EASF-Election Observer Mission congratulates the newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on his victory and calls on political leaders to maintain a peaceful and serene environment for the prosperity of the country and the region.