JOINT PRESS STATEMENT: SOMALIA’S INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS URGE POLITICAL CONSENSUS TO ENSURE TIMELY ELECTIONS, ADVANCE NATIONAL PRIORITIES, AND PRESERVE STABILITY

Mogadishu – Somalia’s international partners* express their concern and their strong hope that recent political developments, including in the Federal Parliament, will not undermine efforts to reach political consensus on timely elections, disrupt Somalia’s reform agenda, or create instability that may reverse the gains made so far on national priorities.

The partners have consistently called for inclusive consultations to achieve broad-based agreement on the modalities for the 2020 elections. This is why they welcomed the decisions reached by the Federal and State leaders in Dhusamareb on 22 July as an important step towards that goal.

The international partners expect the Federal and State leaders to honour the agreements reached on 22 July in Dhusamareb and the timelines for follow-up meetings bringing together the Federal Government, Federal Member States, the Federal Parliament leadership, political parties and civil society representatives. Any attempt by a single stakeholder to unilaterally impose electoral modalities will lack legitimacy and will not be implementable without the essential support from other stakeholders. The partners will closely follow developments going forward. Commitment to agreed national priorities and to resolving issues through dialogue and compromise is vital for continued international support to Somalia at current levels.

The partners urge the immediate nomination of all members of the FGS-FMS Technical Committee and stand ready to facilitate its work, so that it can be completed within the agreed two weeks from the date of the Dhusamareb meeting.

*Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Norway, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Poland, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, and the United Nations