Three top Somalia leaders--Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre, Somalia's ambassador to the UN Abubakar Dahir Osman and the Speaker of the Senate, Abdi Hashi Abdullahi--have promised that the country will hold its first universal suffrage elections since 1969, despite current challenges suggesting the contrary.

Parliament was set to meet on June 6 to review the election timetable.

The seventh session of parliament was scheduled to open in April, to hear the report of the National Independent Electoral Commission on the mode of election.

Mr Osman, on May 30 while addressing a UN Security Council in a discussion of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), said the country is determined to conduct a one-man one-vote election.

Mr Abdullahi said that both the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on time despite the country facing several challenges.