A member of Somalia’s outgoing federal parliament Mohamud Ahmed known as (Kulalihi) has accused the country’s top leaders including the president Hassan Sheikh of electoral fraud.
He said Somali president is using the national asset in his presidential campaign and buying votes for the newly elected lower and upper house MPs elected in the regional capitals of the country.
“Most of the new MPs in the lower house chamber are youngsters who have financial support from Villa Somalia (presidential palace), because they don’t have money to buy the parliamentary seats,” he said.
He said the electoral delegates of the lower house elections are being paid with large sum of money to vote for MPs backed by the Villa Somalia, in a bid to elect outgoing president second term in office.
The election of the lower house MPs is ongoing in the capitals of the regional states amid local and international concern about vote-buying, intimidation and arrests of the delegates and candidates.
The presidential election has been pushed to December 15, the third time the electoral schedule is being changed due to the slow progress of the voting for the lower house MPs.
