Lower House reconvenes in Somalia as term extension claims fill air

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MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's Lower House will reconvene today [Monday] amid ongoing pre-election stalemate, with the national elections debate set to be one of the issues in the Order Paper, as the international community continues to pile pressure on the country's leadership.

For the umpteenth time, the international community asked all stakeholders to find an urgent solution to the current stalemate, arguing that it would be proper for political leadership to find a solution for the sake of stability and peace in the Horn of Africa nation.

For the session to proceed, Speaker Mohamed Abdirahman Mursal needs to have the motion proposed by a couple of MPs after which at least 139 of the 275 legislators are required to be in the house for the sake of quorum. The motion only requires a simple majority.

The federal government insists that only Jubaland and Puntland are not ready for the elections of the five federal states. Those close to the Mogadishu administration have been calling for a term extension for Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo's administration, arguing that it will bring about stability.

But critics argue MPs plan to invalidate Sept 17 deal on indirect elections on the basis that it failed to work, given the political stalemate in Monday's motion. The motion is to reactivate one person one vote system; give the government two years to prepare elections, critics say.

Observers believe most MPs favour extension because the motion extends their mandate too, so they don’t have to face re-election and costly campaigns for another two years, at least. Talks to end the impasse had reportedly collapsed in Mogadishu.

In a detailed breakdown, Abdirizak Mohamed, one of the opposition legislators, poked holes in the planned sitting, terming it illegal and unconstitutional. His sentiments rhymed with those of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who accused Farmajo of plotting a term extension.

"The speaker is in breach of the house rules and procedure by allowing the parliament to debate on a motion that seeks an illegal extension.
Article 75 states the procedure of receiving a Motion is:
75 (1) It must be a written motion with the signatures of the required number of MPs," Mohamed said.

"Article 75(2)the motion must be received by the office of the speaker on a working day, working hour and recorded in the registry as received," he noted. "75 (3)After the Motion is recorded in the registry, the office of the speaker must nullify every Motion that it finds to contradict to the constitution, other laws of the country or the house rules and procedures, and then inform the house the reasons for invalidating the motion."

The motion to extend the term of parliament and the term of the president is in violation of the provisional constitution, the MP, who is one of the members of the Forum for National Parties [FNP] said in a tweet.

Thus, he noted, the motion shall not be debated in plenary. Article 60(1) of the constitution states that the term of office of the federal parliament is 4 years. Article 91 of the constitution states that the president of the Federal Republic of Somalia shall hold office for a term of four years, he noted.

GAROWE ONLINE

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