Somalia’s National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) has called for more time to prepare for the realization of a historic one person one vote in the country.
The chairperson of the commission Halima Ismael who addressed the parliament on Saturday said the earliest her team can conduct the democratic exercise is in March next year based on a manual registration system.
She added that five more months will be enough from March next year to August in order to plan for a biometric system of voting in the horn of the African nation.
“We have presented the two models of elections in order for the house to agree on the best type putting into consideration the challenges facing our country. The support of the parliament is very significant to move forward.” She said.
The commission also acknowledged that despite the security challenges in several parts of the country, they have registered political parties, identified secure voting centers, and ready to purchase the relevant equipment to carry on.
“We have encountered challenges such as politic dreadlock, insecurity, flooding, and COVID -19 that slowed our operations and reach our goal.
