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Somalia Electoral process: a vicious cycle marred by corruption,lack of oversight

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Sunday November 15, 2020 - 03:22:20 in Latest News by
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    Somalia Electoral process: a vicious cycle marred by corruption,lack of oversight

    There are myriad other problems with the implementation of the electoral process, for example the proposed fee structure for candidates for both houses of parliament. Candidates for the Upper House (Senate) are required to pay a whopping 20,000 US do

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There are myriad other problems with the implementation of the electoral process, for example the proposed fee structure for candidates for both houses of parliament. Candidates for the Upper House (Senate) are required to pay a whopping 20,000 US dollars to compete for a seat, while candidates Candidates for for the Lower House are required to pay 10,000 US dollars. Although this financial prerequisite has the Upper House been justified based on the need to raise domestic funds for election operations, the unintended (Senate) are consequences are clear: only the wealthiest Somalis (and the politicians they sponsor) are eligible to required to pay a seek elected office. This price tag, possibly the most expensive in the world, also directly encourages whopping 20,000 the proliferation of corruption. Most candidates for the 329-member bicameral parliament are simply US dollars to unable to come up with these funds on their own, and are forced to find political sponsors who will compete for a seat, expect the candidates to serve their interests in exchange for financial support. Somalia's political while candidates barons have effectively created a food chain in which they have sole control over both the supply and for the Lower demand.
House are requiredEven after candidates pay these prohibitive fees, the overwhelming majority will lose the elections.
to pay 10,000 US dollars Even the winners will emerge from this deeply corrupt process laden with tens of thousands of dollars
in debt from paying the 101 delegates who serve as their electors, and pockmarked by endless political
punches within their constituencies. By the time the new MPs make their way to Mogadishu for the
presidential election, their calculus will be entirely animated by a deep desire to amass huge amounts
of money from as many presidential candidates as possible in order to pay back their own debts, settle
into the capital’s expensive lifestyle and, in some cases, save considerable amounts of money for the dry
season ahead. This impending corruption foreshadows, unfortunately, an even dirtier political future
for the country.
This vicious cycle benefits no one in the end, not even the winner of the presidential election, because it will deprive him of the credibility and the gumption he will need to combat systemic corruption, in the knowledge that he paid substantial amounts of money to MPs to get elected. The ultimate losers in this apocalyptic process of political cannibalism are the Somali people.
Corruption is only part of the problem. The new electoral process also lacks meaningful oversight and reliable integrity mechanisms. Nominally, the Dispute Resolution Committee.
(DRC) will resolve issues that arise from what will likely be a litigious process. However, like the FEIT and SEITs, the DRC is filled with aides and close associates of key stakeholders at the federal and state levels. Also, the federal courts in Mogadishu lack the credibility they need to settle electoral disputes, exposing the entire process to serious fraud and vote rigging.




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