Somalia’s opposition leader accuses president of pushing ‘one-man, one-gun’ election

[Deeq A.]

Somalia’s former president and opposition leader, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, on Saturday accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of orchestrating a coercive and unilateral electoral process aimed at securing another term in office through force and manipulation, describing it as a “one-person, one-gun” election.

In a press conference held in Mogadishu, Sharif alleged that security forces have been deployed to compel citizens to register for a contentious election, saying even sick individuals en route to hospitals are being pulled from vehicles and forced into registration queues.

“A credible election cannot proceed without a broad-based consensus,” Sharif said, noting that regional states, including Puntland and Jubaland, have rejected the process. He further accused the federal government of seeking to shutter the United Nations political office in Mogadishu, which he claimed is a deliberate move to sideline international oversight and clear the path for a rigged vote.

The former leader warned that while the government focuses on engineering what he called a “fraudulent” election, Al-Shabaab militants are making alarming advances toward the capital. He criticized the administration for using military resources – meant to combat insurgents – for political repression instead.

Sharif also addressed deadly clashes that broke out in Mogadishu on Thursday, claiming both sides of the conflict were from the same military unit. He alleged one faction was protecting residents from forced evictions, while another, “paid off” by the President was attempting to displace them to sell off the land to wealthy businessmen.

His remarks came just hours after the National Electoral Commission, whose independence has been widely questioned, announced it had completed voter registration in Mogadishu, claiming one million people had been registered. The process, however, has been marred by widespread reports of excessive force and abuse.

Critics have expressed concern that the government’s actions are escalating political tensions and undermining Somalia’s fragile state-building efforts, just as the country grapples with growing insecurity and constitutional uncertainty.

Somaliguardian

Qaran News