Mogadishu (Horn Post) — Talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali Political Stakeholders Forum, commonly known as the Somali National Salvation Forum (GMS), entered a second day on Tuesday with no breakthrough, after efforts to reach a compromise at Villa Somalia failed.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, attempts to bridge differences ahead of formal negotiations have so far been unsuccessful, leaving the talks deadlocked over the country’s electoral framework.
On Wednesday morning, the GMS leadership is expected to hold a closed-door meeting to deliberate on its electoral roadmap, focusing on elections for the Federal Government as well as the federal member states of Southwest State, Galmudug, and Hirshabelle.
The Federal Government has maintained its position in favor of a one-person, one-vote electoral system, starting from local government elections and extending through the federal member states to the national level. In contrast, the GMS is advocating for indirect elections to be held first at the federal member state level that have not yet conducted polls, followed by national elections before May.
Discussions so far have been limited strictly to the electoral process. Opposition leaders have reportedly withdrawn constitutional reform from the agenda, stating that they recognize the existing constitution. This move has effectively sidelined the Federal Government’s push to link the talks to broader issues of national unity and constitutional change.
Current deliberations indicate a lack of consensus across all proposed electoral models. The one-person, one-vote system is supported solely by the Federal Government, while there is no unified agreement within the opposition on indirect elections. At the same time, Puntland and Jubbaland are reported to oppose a return to earlier clan-led electoral arrangements used in past cycles.
With all sides rejecting different aspects of previous and proposed election frameworks, observers say Somalia’s political actors remain at an impasse, with no clear pathway yet emerging to resolve the electoral dispute.
Prepared by:
Horn post staff reporter
Mogadishu, Somalia
