# In other countries : Elections for Somalia’s lower house of parliament have not been completed by Tuesday, signaling another delay in the election process that could lead to the appointment of a new president, who is expected to be more than a year old.
On Tuesday, the federal states of Southwest and Calcutta completed the election of their representatives, but 40 of the 275 seats below are to be filled in three of the three states (Jubaland, Hirschbelle, Puntland), according to AFP-based accounts. In the official data.
The end of the lower house election is the key step in electing a new president. Under Somalia’s complex system, federal state assemblies and representatives of numerous tribes and sub-clans elect legislators, who appoint the president.
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A tense country in the horn of Africa, which has faced 15 years of insurgency by radical Islamist Shebabs, has been waiting more than a year for Somalia to elect a new head of state.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohammed, also known as Formajo, has been president since 2017, and his mandate expired on February 8, 2021, after he failed to agree with regional leaders on organizing the elections.
The announcement in mid-April that his term would be extended by two years sparked armed conflict in Mogadishu.
In a conciliatory gesture, Fermajo instructed his prime minister, Mohamed Hussein Robbins, to organize the election. But the tension between the two increased many times after that and the process was delayed.
Elections for the upper house ended in late 2021. In early January, Robel and regional leaders reached an agreement that the electoral cycle for the lower house would begin in November and be completed by February 25. Farmajo confirmed its support for the agreement.
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The repeated postponements are of concern to the international community, which hopes to divert officials’ attention from important issues for the country, such as the Shebab uprising.
Following the adjournment on February 25, the United States announced visa restrictions against the accused “Undermining the democratic process in Somalia⁇.
A few days ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told the AFP that financial aid to the country, which would automatically end in May, would be threatened if the new government was not appointed by then.
The UN also called on officials through its ambassador to the country, James Swann “Accelerate and finish quickly⁇ Lower House Election.