The two opposition parties of Waddani and UCID now want the international community and foreign investors not to deal with the leadership of President Muse Bihi.
The opposition parties in a statement said President Bihi and his government had lost legitimacy after failing to hold presidential elections on November 13 as constitutionally required.
“Starting from today Musa Bihi and his cabinet of ministers do not have the legitimacy to continue running the country in accordance with Article 88(1) of the Constitution. Continuance of his administration is tantamount to rule by force and autocracy,” a joint statement of the two parties said.
“We only recognize Musa Bihi as the ‘President whose term expired’ and the ‘Chairman of Kulmiye Party’ alone,” the opposition said.
“We call on the international community and foreign institutions to neither enter any agreement with the outgoing president whose term in office expired, cooperate with him in any form nor support him or his cabinet of ministers in any way,” the statement said.
They said they will continue exploring ways and means to salvage the statehood of the nation and the kind of stability it has been traditionally practicing which would be spearheaded by the opposition parties.
“We urge the armed forces and security agencies to abide by the Constitution as stipulated by Article 123(1, and not to take unlawful orders/directives from the outgoing President,” the statement added.
It is not the first time a ruling government and opposition parties locked horns on issues relating to elections, the opposition parties have consistently pressured the government to hold elections on time but to no avail.
In August, the situation turned bloody when government forces turned on opposition demostrators killing seven and injuring over 100 in the capital Hargeisa.
Last month, the House of Elders which is packed by Bihi’s loyalists voted to extend his term in office by a further two years.
The international community last week sought to end the impasse by urging the government to hold elections within as per the timelines given by the National Electoral Commission.
President has said his government was going to hold elections within the nine months previously set by the national electoral commission.
