Abdi Hashi and Mahdi Guled ‘reach new agreement’
2 min read
Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble today met with former Speaker of the Upper House Abdi Hashi Abdullahi and Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled over a dispute over parliament from the Northern Regions.
A statement from Prime Minister Roble’s office said the meeting focused on speeding up the process of electing members of parliament from the Northern Regions, as well as resolving differences.
“Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble met with Chairman Abdi Hashi Abdullahi and Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled. The meeting focused on speeding up the process of electing members of Parliament from the Northern Regions, resolving the ambiguities, and agreeing to continue the electoral process, ”said a statement from Roble’s office.
The statement from Roble’s office did not elaborate on the agreement reached between Abdi Hashi and Mahdi Guled, who are leading two factions of northern (Somaliland) politicians in Mogadishu, but is believed to be based on split of seats.
The two men have been vying for control of the northern electoral administration for some time, with King Osman Aw Mohamud Burmadow resolving their differences last year.
They have close members in the upper house of parliament, but in the run-up to the lower house elections, Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled has been accused of bribery and wanting to field elders and delegates for each seat and remove candidates not wanted by the office of the President.
Some Somaliland candidates we spoke to told us that Mahdi wanted to run the Northern Parliament elections on his own terms.
“When recruiting the elders who will select the delegates for each seat, Mahdi Guled wants to recruit the elders who support his candidates, so that they can nominate a candidate who is sure to elect his candidates,” said one of the members we spoke to.
Abdi Hashi is said to have refused the wishes of deputy PM Mahdi Guled, he came to the table with an argument that is said to be to distribute the number of elders who will select the delegates for each seat.
The dispute of the two was said to be the reason on why the elections for the lower house parliament from northern region (Somaliland) has been halted.
