Somalia: Two Women Running For President
By MISNA
wo women are running for president: Amal Abdi Ibrahim and Asha Ahmed Abdalla.
In announcing her candidature, Asha Ahmed Abdalla, a member of parliament, accused the current government of favouring corruption and intimidation in the parliament.
This is the second time she runs in the presidential race: in 2004 she was defeated by former president Abdullahi Yusuf. While Amal Abdi Ibrahim, 37, who has been living for 20 years in Finland, announced that if elected she would fight for widows of war and single mothers.
“Women are the prime victims of war and must be helped”, she said in an interview on Finish TV. Both women claim they are ready to lead the nation out of the crisis.
International observers have expressed concerns over delays in naming parliament members tasked to elect the president and Somali associations for gender equality have urged all to respect the new draft Constitution.
Based on the Constitution, 30% of seats, i.e. 82,5 on 275, must be women.
