MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – In a speech at a ceremony in Mogadishu marking the 81st anniversary of the Somali police, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday called on law enforcement to brace for the nation’s first popular election in over five decades.
“After 56 years, an election is set to take place in the country, and the police force must be prepared to safeguard the security of citizens as they cast their votes,” President Mohamud said.
“We made a solemn pledge to the nation that they would no longer be governed by leaders they did not choose; after a prolonged period, power will finally be restored to the hands of the people,” he added.
Despite Mohamud’s reassuring comments, doubts abound regarding the feasibility of a popular election, as his government’s authority is confined to Mogadishu and parts of Hirshabelle and Galmudug, while it lacks control in the three remaining states, Somaliland, and large swathes of territory held by the Al-Shabaab insurgent group.
