General Amina J. Mohammed, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, urged Somali political leaders to avoid political discord that could jeopardize the country’s gains. On her day-long visit to Mogadishu, the Deputy Speaker urged the country’s leaders to de-escalate political tensions to achieve careful momentum in the country’s ongoing electoral process.
General Amina J. Mohammed met with President Mohamed Farmajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble. He delivered remarks in which she stated, “I was encouraged to hear the commitment from all I met with to ensure that this momentum is sustained and that critical elections move forward as scheduled.”
“I have confidence in Somali leaders to de-escalate any tensions and avoid action that could lead to violence, further delay the elections or undermine its credibility,” General Amina Mohamed added.
As Somalia prepares for lower house elections and is currently holding upper house elections, the country’s international partners have been heavily involved in supporting national efforts to advance the country’s election.
During her visit, she expressed her solidarity with Somali women’s call for equal and full participation in political life. Amina Mohamed said the international community’s support for peaceful, inclusive, timely, and credible elections.
With 24 percent of parliamentary seats filled by women in Somalia’s last elections in 2016/17, it was a watershed moment in a strategy to increase women’s participation to 30 percent as a step towards representation and inclusive society.
In a tweet, Amina J. Mohammed captioned a photo of herself seated with other executives with the words, “Ensuring a minimum of 30% women represented in Somalia’s parliament is imperative.” I exchanged with the election implementation teams on how to support the implementation of this electoral agreement.”
She emphasized women’s full inclusion in all sectors of society to contribute to stability, peace, and resilience. Mohammed described the country’s parliamentary elections as an opportunity to build progress in women’s political participation.
“The peace dividend will not happen without women,” Mohammed said.
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