STORY: Ahead of presidential poll, Deputy UN Envoy calls

for free and fair election in South West State

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SOURCE: UNSOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 13/NOVEMBER/2018, BAIDOA, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special

Representative (DSRSG) for Somalia disembarking from the aircraft upon arrival in
Baidoa
2. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga at the airport in Baidoa
3. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga at the airport in Baidoa
4. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga walking
5. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga walking
6. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga shaking hands with Abdulkadir Sharif
Shekhuna, acting President and Speaker of South West Regional Assembly
7. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga in a meeting with Abdulkadir Sharif
Shekhuna, acting President and Speaker of South West Regional Assembly
8. Close up shot, Abdulkadir Sharif Shekhuna, acting President and Speaker of South
West Regional Assembly
9. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga
10. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga in a meeting with Abdulkadir Sharif
Shekhuna, acting President and Speaker of South West Regional Assembly shaking
hands after the meeting
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia
“We came (to South West State) to take stock of the new developments and to
consult the acting President who is also the Speaker of Parliament, and all the other
stakeholders including candidates, the elders and representatives of the federal
government.”

12. Med shot, candidates contesting for president arriving to meet with DSRSG
Raisedon Zenenga
13. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga shaking hands presidential candidates
14. Close up shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga shakes hands with the only female
candidate
15. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga in a meeting with the candidates
16. Close up shot, presidential candidates at the meeting
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia
“A number of issues have emerged over the past three weeks and they need to be
addressed, and our message with respect to that is that they should be addressed
through dialogue, through consultations and by consensus. These are issues
pertaining to the venue, these are issues pertaining to the date, these are issues
pertaining to the reconstitution of the electoral committee, and we are glad that the
acting President, the interim president, who is also the Speaker, is consulting on how
to resolve these issues.”

18. Close up shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga

19. Med shot, presidential candidates at the meeting
20. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga with presidential candidates at the meeting
21. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga poses for a group photograph with some of
the presidential candidates
22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia
“Our message was that the electoral process is very important, it is a precedent and
standard setting electoral process because it is the first in a series of federal member
state elections, which are taking place at the expiration of the mandates of the
various federal member state administrations, the executive, that is the President in
particular. So this being the first is very important. It is a model, it should be
peaceful, it should go in accordance with the constitution of South West State and
also the constitution of the Federal Government.”

23. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga meeting with the presidential candidates
24. Close up shot, Mukhtar Robow, one of the candidates
25. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga talking a candidate
26. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga in a meeting with the presidential
candidates
27. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga speaking at the meeting
28. Close up shot, presidential candidates
29. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia
“We also made it clear that this is a Somali-owned and a Somali-led process. Our role
is to support a credible, transparent process and to ensure that the integrity of this
particular process is preserved.”

30. Med shot, presidential candidates attending the meeting

31. Close up shot, presidential candidates listening at the meeting
32. Close up shot, Mukhtar Robow, one of the candidates
33. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga speaking at the meeting
34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raisedon Zenenga, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia
“We have a stake in the election in the sense that we want to see a credible one. We
don’t have a candidate, we do not support any particular candidate, we are there to
support the process to make it more transparent and make it more credible so that
the result is not contentious and is accepted widely.”

35. Wide shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga poses for a group photograph with some of
the presidential candidates
36. Med shot, DSRSG Raisedon Zenenga poses for a group photograph with some of
the presidential candidates

Ahead of presidential poll, Deputy UN Envoy calls for free and fair election in South
West State

Baidoa, 13 November 2018 – Ahead of the upcoming presidential election in

Somalia’s South West State, a senior United Nations official today urged all
stakeholders in the poll to act in accordance with established rules for the balloting
in order to promote a free, fair and transparent vote in the state’s regional assembly.

“We have a stake in the election in the sense that we want to see a credible one,
(but) we don’t support any particular candidate,” the UN Secretary General’s Deputy
Special Representative for Somalia, Raisedon Zenenga, said in Baidoa, the interim
capital of the South West State.

“We are there to support the process and make it more transparent and more
credible so that the result is not contentious and is accepted widely,” he added.

While in Baidoa, the UN official met with senior federal and state government
officials, as well as a dozen presidential candidates.

Mr. Zenenga began his visit by meeting Abdulkadir Sharif Shekhuna, the Speaker of
the South West State regional assembly who was named interim president following
the resignation of Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden last week. He emphasized the world
body’s stance of impartiality in his discussions with Mr. Shekhuna, who will oversee
the voting in the state legislature, and other key officials and stakeholders. Members
of Mr. Zenenga’s delegation also met with six clan elders from the Federal Member
State.

Date of election

The balloting is scheduled to take place in the state’s 149-seat regional assembly on
Saturday, 17 November, but the resignation of most of the members of the
election’s organizing committee earlier this month has cast doubt on the timing of
the vote.

“The date is not a priority for us – the priority is to ensure that a proper process is
followed and that all stakeholders are consulted.” Mr. Zenenga emphasized. “Our
role is to support the Somalis, who own and lead this process, to ensure that the
election is free, fair and devoid of violence.”

The state’s former president Sharif Hassan resigned on 7 November and withdrew
from the upcoming election, citing widespread interference in the poll.

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) has previously called on all parties
and stakeholders in the federal member state’s presidential contest to work
together and avoid any actions that could spawn conflict or undermine the integrity
of the electoral process.

UNSOM also recently accepted an invitation from the South West State government
to assign election observers who will monitor the voting for possible irregularities.
During his meetings today, Mr. Zenenga offered the resources of the UN to conduct
capacity-building workshops for members of the election organizing committee, with
a focus on their duties and responsibilities.