Somalia struggling for first formal administration in two decades

Press TV
Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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Controversy has engulfed the MPs selection process in Somalia barely a week after the official mandate of the eight year old Transitional administration expired.

On the 20thAugust, more than 200 members of the new parliament were sworn in, in a historic ceremony in the war torn capital Mogadishu.

However three of Somalia’s UN funded Roadmap signatories have rejected outgoing Somali president’s recent assertion to move the MPs selection dispute to the Supreme Court to seek redress after the technical selection committee (TSC) rejected the appointment of some MPs into the new parliament.

According to the other signatories, the move would disrupt the previous agreements in which signatories including the outgoing president himself Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed agreed to the selection of MPs by the Technical Selection Committee.

“The Technical Selection Committee is an independent body to vet the Members of Parliament before joining the newly reformed 275 member parliament.

The United Nations Special envoy for Somalia Augustine Mahiga has also voiced deep concern at the ongoing delays in finalizing the list of new parliamentarians, warning that it might threaten the electoral calendar.

Outgoing Somali leader was also accused of taking unilateral decision without consulting other signatories of the Roadmap, adding that they will not accept such a move.

Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaa group , Galmudug and Puntland States of Somalia all maintained that no group can reach a decision without consulting the other partners and called for parties involved to immediately stop interfering with the TSC.

The outgoing Somali leader in a press conference however said that the candidates were not tried previously by any judicial mechanism and could not be guilty of the given crimes. The Technical Selection Committee (TSC) in charge of vetting parliamentary candidates recently rejected over 70 individuals connected with war crimes.

Somali lawmakers are set to converge on Tuesday in Mogadishu and elect a new Somali parliament speaker that will culminate with the elections of the Somali presidency at a later date marking the end of a Transitional rule that will see Somalia have its first formal administration in two decades.

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