Monday December 25, 2023
Garowe (HOL) - Puntland's presidential candidates have accused the regional President, Said Abdullahi Deni, of sowing discord in the traditional elders' process for selecting members of the upcoming parliament.
In a press release on Sunday night, the candidates asserted that the President's intervention in the process could lead to conflicts with the traditional elders responsible for selecting parliament members.
They also accused the committee of breaking trust for the resolution of disputes and approval of members of parliament, alleging collusion with President Deni to manipulate parliamentary seat allocations.
The candidates stressed that the 17 MPs from SSC-Khatumo should not be selected until a political agreement is reached between the government and the opposition, ideally before December 31.
Two days ago, the Supreme Council of SSC-Khaatumo announced that the newly formed SSC-Khaatumo administration would no longer be part of the semi-autonomous northern Somali state of Puntland.
The Council refused to select lawmakers to send to the upcoming regional parliament and warned against recruiting members of the Dhulbahante community from the towns. They underscored that all elders who used to sign and approve lawmakers for the Puntland parliament unanimously decided not to send any MP to Puntland.
This decision was made during a meeting held in Las Anod, the administrative capital of (Sool, Sanag, and Ain), collectively known as SSC-Khaatumo.
The Puntland elections are scheduled for January 8, 2024.