The Somali president and prominent politicians of of his Hawiye clan discussed the country’s political issues, particularly the amendment of the constitution.
Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur, and MP Abdikhqadir Osoble attended the meeting in Mogadishu.
President Mohamud committed during the meeting to amend the constitution in accordance with the procedure enshrined in chapter 15 of the transitional constitution and to reinstate the Puntland regional state back into the National Consultative Council (NCC) forum.
In a bid to enhance the conversation, they also resolved to choose representatives from other clans, 10 parliamentarians from the President’s side and five MPs from the politician’s side.
Despite the fact that no formal statement was made following the discussion, reports indicate that the two sides arrived at a preliminary understanding on important matters.
In May this year, the National Consultative Council, which includes the federal leaders, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, as well as four regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu, have agreed to introduce direct elections as early as next year and unify the election schedules, and endorsed establishment of a presidential system for the country.
In a departure from clan-based power sharing, the leaders agreed that one-person-one-vote elections will take place once every five years. A 15-member national election and border committee will be formed to manage all local, regional and federal elections.
