(Vatican Radio) Somalia's new parliament is voting for a new president of the country's
fledgling government, a move that members of the international community say is a
key step toward the country's transition from a war-torn failed state to a nation
with an effective government.
Somalia has had transitional administrations
since 2004, but has not had a functioning central government since 1991, when warlords
overthrew a long-time dictator and turned on each other, plunging the impoverished
nation into chaos.
The U.N. special representative for Somalia implored parliamentarians
to think of the good of their country and vote with a clear conscience on Monday.
The U.N.-backed process of electing the country's next government has been
criticized for corruption and threats of violence.
Matteo Guglielmo, an analyst
for the geo-political journal ‘Limes’ and an expert on the region, says the country
is not ready for popular elections:
“This is not a true election… I mean,
this is an election that is only in the parliament. But the country is still unprepared
to organise true and real elections. So the next government, the next president will
be an outcome of a parliament composed by 200 members, not by all the population,
Somali population. It is very, very important to understand the real consistence of
this new government, and this new parliament, this new president.”
The last
day of the eight-year U.N.-backed transitional government was Aug. 20 and the U.N.
had wanted a new president in place by then. But political bickering, threats and
seat-buying schemes delayed progress toward the selection and seating of 275 members
of the new Parliament that will select a president
Last month Somali leaders
endorsed a new provisional constitution that expands rights for Somali citizens. The
UN—which helped broker the constitution and is in charge of the poll—hopes that one
day all of Somalia will be able to vote to endorse or reject the constitution.