Somalia’s electoral chief has called for the parliamentary and presidential elections to be postponed to August 2021.

The chairperson of the commission, Halima Ibrahim, said that issues such as lack of funds, insecurity, flooding and the coronavirus pandemic had disrupted the commission’s work.

The parliamentary election was scheduled for November 2020 while the presidential election was expected to be held in February 2021.

They were to be the country’s first one-person, one-vote elections. Previous election have been decided by clan elders.

Somalia’s main opposition parties have rejected the proposal to delay the polls.

The Forum for National Parties called on the electoral commission to resign.

It also rejected any extension of the current government’s term.

The parliament is due to stand down in November, while the president’s term ends in February 2021.