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Time Running Out on Somalia's Troubled Vote

Associated Press

   MOGADISHU, SOMALIA - As Somalia marks three decades since a dictator
   fell and chaos engulfed the country, the government is set to hold a
   troubled national election.

   Or is it?

   Two regional states refuse to take part, and time is running out before
   the February 8 date when mandates expire. A parliament resolution
   allows President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and lawmakers to remain in
   office, but going beyond February 8 brings "an unpredictable political
   situation in a country where we certainly don't need any more of that,"
   U.N. Special Representative James Swan said this week.

   Amid the campaign billboards and speeches in the capital, Mogadishu, is
   a sense of frustration as people are urged to support candidates but
   again cannot directly take part.

   "Nobody has ever asked us what we want or whom we would choose as
   president," said Asha Abdulle, who runs a small tea shop.

   "Every president wants to extend his tenure and at least add one more
   year, so why can't they make it official and hold elections every five
   years instead of four?" wondered Abdirisaq Ali Mohamed as he watched TV
   at a hotel.

   The uncertainty is ripe for exploitation by the Somalia-based al-Shabab
   extremist group, which has threatened to attack the polls. Meanwhile,
   the country is adjusting to the withdrawal of 700 U.S. military
   personnel, completed in mid-January.

   A successful election means Somalia's government can move on to address
   urgent issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, a locust outbreak and
   hundreds of thousands of people displaced by climate crises such as
   drought.

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