International partners note midpoint of House of the People elections and urge timely and credible conclusion of the process

Mogadishu - International partners* note the election of approximately half of the seats in the House of the People.

International partners again underscore the need for procedural irregularities to be addressed in an impartial and transparent manner in order to build confidence in the electoral process and its outcomes. As outlined in the National Consultative Council (NCC) Communique of January, candidates must be free to compete without obstruction. Journalists should be able to report on, and civil society free to observe electoral activities without intimidation. In addition, we call on all leaders to avoid an escalation of political tensions and to ensure that security forces are not used as political instruments.

International partners repeat the concern that the 30 per cent quota for women’s representation in parliament is not being met and call for urgent corrective measures to be applied for the remaining seats.

Given the 25 February deadline agreed by the January 2022 NCC, partners encourage continued momentum to ensure a credible and urgent conclusion of the electoral process.

*African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, European Union (EU), Finland, Germany, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, League of Arab States (LAS), Netherlands, Norway, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and United Nations.