MOGADISHU, (HAN) — Former Speaker of the Somali Parliament Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman has accused South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen” of obstructing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s efforts to implement a one-person, one-vote electoral system.
In a statement to the media on Monday, Mursal said Laftagareen had “sabotaged” the president’s democratization agenda after he and a delegation of federal lawmakers were denied entry to Baidoa, the capital of South West State.
“The refusal to allow us to visit Baidoa shows that Laftagareen is standing in the way of the one-person, one-vote election plan that President Hassan Sheikh has been promoting,” Mursal said.
The incident highlights the ongoing political tensions between the federal government in Mogadishu and regional administrations over the pace and implementation of Somalia’s electoral reforms.
President Hassan Sheikh’s government has pledged to transition Somalia from the current clan-based power-sharing model to a direct voting system before the next national elections. However, political divisions, insecurity, and regional resistance have slowed progress toward that goal.
Neither the South West State administration nor federal authorities immediately commented on Mursal’s claims.
