Politics

Somalia to abolish indirect voting under a new suffrage legislation

Published

4 months ago

August 20, 2024

Somalia’s cabinet approved a bill that, if passed by parliament, will reintroduce universal suffrage for the first time in 55 years, marking the end of indirect voting, as stated by the government’s spokesperson Farhan Jimale.

Amid significant insecurity due to an Islamist insurgency and unstable state frameworks, presidents have been elected by lawmakers, who do clan heads and elders choose themselves.

Somalia has had five governments through indirect dispensations since 2000, although it has not held one-person, one-vote elections. 2017 saw the government of Somalia start a debate about selecting an electoral system for the nation.

The bills have to be approved by parliament and signed into law by the President. Should it be carried out, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would be the last leader chosen indirectly through polls set for 2026.

Although the nation had planned to move to direct voting in 2020, political unrest and ongoing insecurity resulted in the indirect voting system being kept in place.

Having had its last direct elections in 1967, Somalia has suffered decades of instability as the central government in Mogadishu struggles to control areas of central and southern regions.

The reform follows President Hassan Sheikh’s fresh promise last year to use a direct universal one-person, one-vote system. This week, one of the states in the nation already scheduled a vote with universal suffrage.

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

4 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

5 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.