MOGADISHU, Somalia
Somalia's opposition presidential
candidates called on the country's president Tuesday to leave office "as
soon as possible," while the presidency denounced the move.President Mohamed Farmaajo
"Mohamed Abdullahi (Mohamed) Farmaajo tried to seize civilian constitutional institutions by military force,"
the opposition presidential candidates said in a statement.
They called for an "urgent
investigation" and demanded a case to be filed against him and those who
supported him in the "failed coup."
The current political unrest in the country
emerged after the country’s federal electoral agency, the Federal Electoral
Implementation Team (FEIT), ousted its chairman Mohamed Hassan Irro over
allegations of incompetence and the violation of neutrality and the president
suspended the powers of his prime minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble, over alleged
corruption and misuse of public land.
The prime minister, however, defied the order,
describing the president's decision to suspend him as "outrageous."
It has been 14 months since Somali leaders reached
an election agreement, but there are very few tangible achievements to show,
and now a new concern of armed conflict has emerged in the country.
Somalia's former president and current chairman
of the Council of Presidential Candidates Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in a press
conference in the capital Mogadishu called for unity to complete the country's
elections, labeling Monday's events in the capital "unfortunate."
"The attempt to oust the prime minister in
charge of the election is unfortunate and a tragedy," he said.
"The current situation is a critical one.
All politicians and the international community who supports Somalia need to
unite to complete the elections," he said.
The Somali presidency meanwhile denounced the
opposition's joint statement, denying their accusations.
"The issues of treason, a coup and calls
for resignations are sideshows and distractions necessitated to cover up the
ongoing case which has also cost the Navy commander brigadier his job. The only
coup that H.E. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo can be accused of is a coup
against graft, and that has set him apart from his competitors. It would be
misleading to apply diversionary tactics and employ incitement or coercion
instead of responding to the issues facing Mr. Mohamed Hussein Roble," it
said in a statement.
"The presidential candidates are in the
race themselves and can in no logical reasoning issue ultimatums to a fellow
contestant in a level playing field. Their demands are a non-issue," it
added.
"H.E. President Mohamed Abdullahi
Farmaajo’s goal is to take our nation through timely, credible and transparent
elections. This is why he has also convened a leadership consultative meeting
with the Federal Member States and Benadir administration since those who were
tasked with the elections resorted to land-grabbing and disrupting the election
committees to derail the entire process."
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