Somalia: Qatar announces Farmajo’s trip to Doha as parliamentary elections draws closer.

Outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and a delegation led by him are heading to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Saturday, according to a brief statement made public by Qatar News Agency which reported the departure

Farmajo’s visit to Doha is announced by the Qatar News Agency, which reports that today, March 5, Farmajo will visit Doha, where he will meet with the Emir of Qatar and other members by Sunday, March

The An unofficial visit come at a time when electoral process appears to be coming to an end as close to 180 of Somalia’s 250-member parliament have already been elected without any widespread allegations of electoral fraud and corruption.

The Somali presidency has not yet commented on the president’s visit to Qatar, and the president will leave Aden Adde International Airport in the next few hours.

During his stay in Doha, the capital of Qatar, Mohamed Farmajo will hold various meetings with the Emir of Qatar and other officials to discuss strengthening relations between the two countries.

Farmajo will also discuss with Doha government officials the acceleration of support for the Federal Government of Somalia and other planned issues, and Qatar is one of Farmajo’s close allies.

This has raised eyebrows as President Farmajo’s term elapsed on 8 February 2021 and he has been without mandate to govern all this time

Qatar is one of the most influential governments in Somalia’s electoral process and Somalia, which has already missed several electoral deadlines over the past 18 months, missed its latest target of completing Lower House elections by February 25. Last week, The NCC announced that the new deadline is March 15.