Hiiraan Online
Monday October 8, 2018
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Lawmakers for a regional state in Somalia shelved a vote of confidence against their president on Sunday in what appeared to be a tactical retreat following talks with the embattled leader who had to cut short of a trip in Mogadishu amid the looming vote.
The motion against Mohamed Abdi Ware, the president of Hirshabelle State was tabled last week on the grounds that his administration failed to improve the region’s security amid attacks by al-Shabab fighters who maintain military bases in the region and seized new areas before government forces pushed them back later.
According to Sheikh Osman Barre, Hirshabelle’s parliament speaker, MPs concluded against pushing their petition against the president in view of the potential political and security loopholes it may cause to the region, saying that the president now had the parliament’s confidence to work.
“We have to recognize that the initial aim of the motion was not to frustrate anyone, but rather to push for improvements and for the state to deliver on its promises.” He said during a parliamentary session attended by the president and other top leaders.
The motion by lawmakers in Hirshabelle state, one of the country’s five federal state members is the latest in several impeachment attempts against the president who had earlier joined other regional leaders that severed ties with the government, accusing it of failing to deliver on its promises in what analysts see as a struggle over resources.
However, Mr. Ware had later defected from the regional leaders’ umbrella challenging the central government, saying that his region resolved to work with the government which has been criticized about the way it handled relations with the regional states.