This is the translated version of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s Full Speech on May 1st at the Somali Parliament.
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
• Speaker of the House of the People Honorable Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman and his deputies
• Honorable Members
• Members of the Council of Ministers of the Federal Government of Somalia
• Governor of Benadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu
• The Chief Justice and the Attorney General
• Commanders of the Armed Forces such as
• Media and
• All other guests of honor
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wa Barakatu
I am honored to be here today, May 1, 2021, to brief you on the latest developments in the country, particularly the sensitive issues affecting the country’s elections.
Thank you for accepting my request to attend this special meeting, in accordance with the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all Somali workers who are celebrating International Workers’ Day on May 1st today. You are the muscle and mind behind the achievements we have made in recent years, and we will continue to strengthen the protection of your fundamental rights that the Government has maintained over the last 4 years.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the civil servants for their dedicated work in the construction of government buildings such as the National Library, the National Theater, the National Museum, and the National Monuments.
Honorable Members,
I want to commend you for the selfless work you have done in this country for the last 4 years and for fulfilling your constitutional responsibilities and working for the enactment of many laws that I have signed which are fundamental to it. becoming the government of our country.
I would also like to thank the Government and other government agencies for their hard work during my tenure in implementing sweeping reforms in the economy, anti-corruption, reconstruction and reconstruction. reorganizing the Armed Forces, fighting terrorism, preventing and managing natural disasters, restoring the symbols of Somali nationalism, safeguarding Somalia’s sovereignty and restoring the dignity of our country in the world and in the Horn of Africa region in particular. Indeed, these four years of work are enormous and will determine the future of our government and have a profound impact on the future of the country.
I also pay tribute to our heroes, both boys and girls, of the Armed Forces who stand in the cold to return Somalia to its place in the world and in the cave we live in.
It is noteworthy that the support and encouragement of the Somali people has always inspired our forces to be active, courageous and patriotic, and I urge the strengthening of cooperation between the security agencies and the Somali people to realize our vision of a peaceful, united Somalia and Somalia lives in peace with its neighbors and the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Legislature is central to the existence of our nation and is responsible for enacting and approving laws that are important to the country, protecting and upholding the constitution and other national laws and overseeing the various branches of government.
Therefore, in all the important issues related to the future and the direction of our country, the Parliament must play a role and be the point of reference for resolving the complex issues.
During my tenure, I worked hard to ensure that the legislature was given a constitutional role in governing the country. I have confirmed that I will return the important agreements reached by the executive branch to Parliament for discussion and, if necessary, ratification. In the past, the role of the parliament has been neglected and it has not been involved in important decisions affecting the future of our country. The parliaments before you were closed while their terms were still in place so that only a few people could govern.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On 28 December 2019, you ratified a law that mandated the election of a person and a vote so that the Somali people could enjoy their constitutional rights. Unfortunately, the law has been thwarted by opponents of restoring power to the Somali people to elect their leaders and representatives to government institutions.
After nearly 8 months of negotiations, on 26 September 2020, you ratified the 2020/2021 Political Direction Agreement jointly issued by the Federal Government of Somalia and FGS Member States on 17 September 2020. That law has diverted the country to indirect elections that are self-serving but far from the democracy and good governance we wanted in the country.
Once again we did not implement the agreement we agreed on 17 September 2020. The vetting efforts took six months of regular meetings, private negotiations, contacts and business trips to implement the agreed agreement.
We are committed to holding free and fair elections in accordance with this agreement and the recommendations of the Technical Committee reached on 16 February 2021 in Baidoa. However, we have not been able to overcome the challenges of self-imposed motives and vested interests.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On 12 April 2021, you issued a Special Law on the Direction of Federal Elections to save the country from delays and uncertainty. Once again, you have given the Somali people a chance to regain their constitutional rights and elect the people they trust to lead the country.
The law has been opposed by some states and has created a tense atmosphere. Mogadishu has been the scene of planned violence. Civilians were displaced and their lives and property were endangered. Now, the question is who organized these armed youth and funded them?
As a government, we have always strived to maintain the stability of the country by doing everything possible to keep the sound of gunfire out of the ears of the people of Mogadishu.
I can tell you that I am very proud of this city, because I was born, raised, started a Quranic school in this city, and also graduated from primary school to high school. This city is a good Somali city, I want this capital to be a beautiful and large capital, with a large population, a center of economy, and compete with other capitals in the world; This can be done by keeping the capital peaceful and stable.
In fact, it is not possible for our country and this City to go back to the ugly path that the country took 30 years ago. So, I chose to hiillinno stability, and that the conflict between our foreign benefit between xallisanno to tender is not dowladnimadeenna destroy us.
I would like to take this opportunity to send my condolences to the victims of the recent clashes in the city which were sad and could have been avoided. May Allah have mercy on those who died and may Allah raise those who were injured. We are determined to find a solution through dialogue and not to start chaos for those who want to exchange the blood of the people but to set an example in maintaining peace and saving our people.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Honorable Members of Parliament,
As I said before, the solution to the election lies in having a sincere dialogue with the interests of the people at a disadvantage, such as terrorism and the drought in some regions. the Covid-19 disaster and other social problems.
The Somali people cannot bear any more burdens, and their security must be protected, their democracy must be strengthened, and their governance strengthened by a culture of non-violence.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I urge all of you, in light of the political situation in the country and the difficult situation we are in, to take with us to go back to the consensus agreement that you ratified on 26 September 2020.
To this Honorable Council, I want to make it clear that Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble will lead the preparation and implementation of the elections and the security of the elections. The implementation of the security plan in accordance with the constitution rests with the Prime Minister. Therefore, I urge the Government to be prepared for this huge task.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In conclusion, I would like to call on our dissident politicians to work for the common good, refrain from inciting the public, refrain from endangering security, and return to the path of dialogue, compromise and compromise. That is the only way.
I urge the youth of Somalia not to be fuel for personal gain, personal interests that can destroy yourself, your property, your country, your people and your religion. At the same time, I urge all sections of the Somali people to promote peace and unity among the Somali people, and to stand by our Armed Forces day and night to ensure the overall security of the country and the safety of our citizens.
Wa Billahi Tawfiq
