Mahdi Guled apologizes to Prime Minister Roble and Habar Gidir Clan

Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled has strongly supported Prime Minister Roble, following accusations from politicians and intellectuals in the northern regions of Somaliland.

Chairman Abdi Hashi, Senator Abdi Ismail Samatar, Boqor Osman Burmadow and a Member of Parliament who held a press conference at Abdi Hashi’s residence in Mogadishu today said that Prime Minister Roble and members of his clan are looting northern parliamentary seats.

But Mahdi Guled who spoke tonight said that what happened today in Abdi Hashi’s house is not a Somali tradition.

He said today’s remarks were a serious insult to the prime minister and other members of the public, saying the Dir-North communities were grateful for their seats.

“What happened today at Abdi Hashi’s house was not a Somali tradition. I apologize to Prime Minister Roble and his Habargidir clan for this mistake.”

Mahdi also said they would lay the groundwork for the Prime Minister’s community, “We know the culture very well, and today (what happened) was not in our good tradition,” he said.

Elaborating on the role of Prime Minister Roble in the election of northern seats, the deputy prime minister said Roble’s office had an important role to support, but did not interfere in the process of managing those seats.

Earlier this afternoon, Boqor Osman Aw Mohamud Burmadow and Speaker of the Upper House Abdi Hashi Abdillahi, who was surrounded by most politicians in the northern regions of Somaliland, announced their withdrawal from the election.

They accused Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble of mismanaging their elections, without consulting them, and abusing his power and looting their seats, they said.

They said the seats announced this morning by the SEIT Northern Electoral Implementation Committee were unknown, and were being contested by the chairman and the prime minister.

“The election was going smoothly and we were looking at how the community is electing its members of parliament. In recent days, what we have submitted as a community has been rigged by the office of the Prime Minister,” said King Osman Aw. Mohamud Burmadow.

“We are making it clear to everyone that we have lost control of the election under the auspices of the Prime Minister, who lacks a dignified system of government.”

He added that they had complained to the prime minister’s clan, but that no one had listened to their complaints about Roble and his office accusing them of rigging the elections in the North.

Speaker of the Upper House Abdi Hashi Abdillahi also called for an end to the North’s (Somaliland seats) timetable for elections, and said it was important that the elections be held in a consensual manner.

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