Thursday May 15, 2025
Garowe (HOL) – Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has strongly criticized the launch of the newly formed Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) in Mogadishu, accusing the Federal Government of exploiting the political process to consolidate power and deepen national divisions.
Speaking at an event on Tuesday, President Deni described the party’s founding congress as a “misleading political maneuver” aimed at weakening Somalia’s unity and derailing efforts toward inclusive governance.
“The formation of this party is not a genuine move toward democratic reform. It is a calculated expansion of the 4.5 clan-based power-sharing formula under a new name,” said Deni, warning that the JSP represents an existential threat to national cohesion.
He further alleged that the Federal Government’s claim of transitioning away from the 4.5 system is insincere, citing the dominance of federal leadership figures in the party’s senior structure.
“If there were real justice, would cemeteries be bought? What kind of unity are they preaching when the country is already divided? The National Consultative Council has morphed into a political party,” Deni said, directly aiming at President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his allies.
The Justice and Solidarity Party, which held its inaugural convention on Monday in Mogadishu, elected President Hassan Sheikh as its chairman and presidential candidate. Key figures from the federal leadership — including Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Southwest President Abdiaziz Laftagareen, Deputy Prime Minister Salah Jama, and First Deputy Speaker Sadia Yasin — were named as vice-chairpersons. Former Minister Abdirahman Odowaa was appointed secretary-general.
Despite the Federal Government’s portrayal of JSP as a vehicle for democratic reform and one-person, one-vote elections, Puntland’s leadership has rejected the initiative as a continuation of centralized political control that marginalizes dissenting regions.
President Deni reiterated Puntland’s commitment to genuine reconciliation, urging Somali politicians and citizens to remain vigilant and demand transparent, inclusive, and fair political processes ahead of the country’s anticipated universal suffrage elections.
