Somalia kicks off public consultations to review draft constitution

   MOGADISHU, Feb. 2  -- Somalia on Saturday kicked off public inaugural consultative meetings on the constitutional review process.
   Salah Jama, minister for constitutional affairs, said more than 100 participants attended the three-day event, the first in a series of open and inclusive meetings which began in the Benadir region.
   "Our people live both inside and outside the country. We wish to use various means to publicize the campaign. Those with access to technology and the internet can access the campaign online, or on radio or television," Jama said in a statement issued by the UN mission in Somalia after the start of the event.
   He said the meetings will enable all Somalis to share their views on contentious issues in the provisional constitution, especially on topics such as the status of Mogadishu, natural resource sharing, the electoral model, and power-sharing.
   The public outreach campaign will advance the country's constitutional review process, a key milestone in the state-building process of Somalia.
   Ismail Yasin Mohamed, director of elections at the National Independent Electoral Commission, assured participants that the electoral body is ready to conduct elections this year.
   "Today, while we know the country's situation, we also know locations where voters can register in Mogadishu or the federal states. We have identified these locations. As soon as the electoral law is passed, voting materials are delivered, and polling centers opened, we will be ready to hold the election," said Mohamed.
   Somalia, with the help of partners, is making urgent preparations for universal suffrage elections, which will be the first of its kind after more than two decades since the outbreak of the civil war that followed the collapse of the Somali government in 1992.
   Zahra Ali Hassan, senior advisor at the ministry of constitutional affairs, hailed the presence of numerous young people at the Mogadishu consultative meeting.
   "Since the youth are tomorrow's leaders, it was vital for them to attend and understand these issues. We advised them to read and understand the provisional Constitution since it's about their life and future," Hassan added. Xinhua