Thursday April 14, 2022
Baidoa (HOL) - More than 200 lawmakers are expected to be in Mogadishu on Thursday to be officially sworn into office for Somalia's 11th Parliament.
Security in Mogadishu has been beefed up. The Somali National Army (SNA) closed all the entrances and exits to the airport, which holds the Afisioni tent - the ceremony's venue.
Election observers were concerned about the status of South West MPs. Their region's president has pressured the latter to boycott the swearing-in ceremony for the federal election commission's nullification of three seats in their constituency.
Following a meeting in Baidoa with the FEIT chairman on Wednesday, the federal electoral body members announced that they would recognize the election results for two seats - HOP204 and HOP103 - but that electoral irregularity still existed in HOP154, which would have to be re-run.
South West State lawmakers have begun arriving in Mogadishu and are expected to receive their official certification from the federal election commission.
FEIT had also voided the results of HOP 086, which was won by former intelligence chief and close ally to President Farmajo, Fahad Yasin. Despite protests from the Hirshabelle regional administration that the election was conducted within the September 17 agreement and that FEIT was abusing its power, it does not appear that the embattled national security advisor will be sworn into office on Thursday.
On Monday, Fahad Yasin filed a petition with Somalia's nascent Supreme Court, which has not handled an election case in its recent history.The Farmajo-appointed Chief Justice previously said that the court could not hear cases that arise from this indirect election because the format was crafted out of a political agreement and not constitutionally.
Somalia's legislative branch has been without a constitutional mandate for over a year, with the 10th Parliament's constitutional mandate having expired on December 27, 2020.
With the seating of MPs, Somalia can begin the preparations for the long-awaited presidential elections. In Somalia's indirect electoral system, federal MPs vote directly for the President.