|
As
presidential vote nears, UN envoy urges Somali parliamentarians to
choose wisely
6 September 2012 – As Somali parliamentarians prepare to elect a new
president next week, the top United Nations envoy in the country
urged them to choose a credible and effective leader who can advance
peace and development in the Horn of Africa nation.
“After two decades of civil war, a collapsed state and innumerable
indignities to the pro ud Somali people, we are hours away from the
election of a new president – the event that will completely end the
transitional period and move us towards a phase of political and
socio-economic transformation,” the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, said in an open
letter to the country’s parliamentarians.
Mr. Mahiga, who also heads the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS),
called on the parli amentarians to choose the candidate who will be
“honest and effective in leading the co untry with a vision
appropriate for the next four years of transformation and peace-bu
ilding.”
After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and
national reconcilia tion process, with the country's transitional
governing arrangements coming to an end with the implementation of
the so-called Roadmap for the End of Transition.
The 10 September election will mark the culmination of a series of
landmark events in re cent weeks, including the adoption of
Somalia’s provisional constitution, the inaugural meeting of its new
parliament – which Mr. Mahiga described as the “most qualified and
representative” in the country’s history – and the appointment of
that body’s speaker.
“It has not been easy getting us to this point,” noted Mr. Mahiga.
“In addition to the privations you have all endured during these
past difficult years, the political process and the security
situation has not been easy. There have been moments when all seemed
lost and we have sometimes been on the brink of despair.
“Nevertheless, somehow, the courage, tenacity and determination of
the Somali people has overcome these formidable obstacles and
brought us to where we are now.”
He urged them to listen to the presidential candidates as they
publicly present their visions, and to make their choice
accordingly, adding that all Somalis, the region and the rest of the
international community are watching during these remaining few
days.
“My brothers and sisters, it is all up to you,” he added. “You are
the highest sovereign authority in the land. You are the custodians
of the future which is now in your hands.”
Source: un.org
|