Time running out on Somalia’s troubled vote as citizens express frustration

MOGADISHU, Somalia — As Somalia marks three decades since a dictator fell and chaos engulfed the country, the government is set to hold a troubled national election. Or is it?

Two regional states refuse to take part, and time is running out before the Feb. 8 date when mandates expire. A parliament resolution allows President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and lawmakers to remain in office, but going beyond Feb. 8 brings “an unpredictable political situation in a country where we certainly don’t need any more of that,” United Nations special representative James Swan said this week.