Somalia’s lower house of parliament has extended the term of current President Mohamed Farmaajo for two more years.
Farmaajo’s term of four years came to end on February 8, 2021.
According to Speaker Mohamed Mursal Sheikh, a total of 149 (54 per cent) lawmakers backed the move to allow the current government additional time to resolve the pending political tension over the election.
This means that the country will forgo the September 17, 2020, agreement that was meant to solve the electoral process to pick the new team.
In February, the government of Putland said that the ongoing electoral gridlock and political developments in Somalia were contributed by the lack of commitment from the Federal Government of Somalia.
Putland reaffirmed its commitment to finding peace and solutions based on the 2020 agreement.
According to Putland, Farmaajo walked out of the meeting without consensus in a meeting which was held on February 4-6 in Dhuusamarreeb.
Also, the attempt from the regional states to end the stalemate between the Somalia government and the opposition collapsed.
The opposition had said that it will not recognise Farmaajo as Somalia's president since his term came to an end.
Former State Minister of Defense Gen. Sheikh Yusuf Inda Adde had also declared the government of Somalia illegitimate.
The United Nations and the AU top leaders had equally called upon Somali leaders to go back to the table in search of an agreement over elections.
Both UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Moussa Faki commended the people and leaders of Somalia for progress achieved in recent years towards the stabilisation of the country.
They asked the Somali leaders to work in a spirit of compromise to overcome the latest political hurdles to inclusive elections as soon as possible and respect the agreement they reached on September 17, 2020.
