MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, arrived in Baidoa on Thursday, the interim capital of Southwest State, to participate in a high-profile ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of Abdi Asis Laftagaren’s election as regional president.
Prior to the Prime Minister’s visit, Speaker of Parliament Adan Madobe arrived in Baidoa to attend the ceremony, where the incumbent president of Southwest State will commemorate his sixth year in office.
Laftagaren, whose initial four-year term was extended by two years—an extension his opposition deems illegal and unconstitutional—faces uncertainty regarding whether his tenure will be further prolonged.
This year’s celebration of Laftagaren’s tenure comes amidst a deepening political crisis surrounding the country’s elections, with the federal government and regional leaders, including Laftagaren himself, advocating for a one-person, one-vote system that many deem unfeasible at present, while being staunchly opposed by Jubaland and Puntland states.
