By Asha Elmi - Reporter
MOGADISHU, (Dawan) – Opposition politician Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame stated that while the opposition is not opposed to one-person-one-vote elections, it rejects any system whose outcome is predetermined or lacks consensus.
Speaking on the Miizaan Podcast, Abdishakur stressed that the central issue is ensuring that one-person-one-vote elections are genuinely open and inclusive, particularly regarding the allocation of seats under the 4.5 clan-based system.
“If it is a one-person-one-vote election, both the seats and voters must be fully open,” he said, referring to both candidates and those eligible to vote.
He added that if seats remain restricted to particular clans, the election cannot be considered a true one-person-one-vote process, as only voter participation would be widened while candidate eligibility remains constrained.
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Abdishakur proposed a hybrid approach that respects clan representation while ensuring broader voter participation, noting that previous discussions included community-based voting in specific constituencies where residents could participate freely.
The opposition leader emphasized that any electoral process must first reach a political consensus on guiding principles, including the type of election, the role of federal member states, federalism, and the management of the transitional period, before addressing technical details.
The Somali government has previously expressed its commitment to conducting one-person-one-vote elections as a key step toward increasing citizen participation in politics