Dina Mahmoud (London)
A difficult struggle. Last Saturday, the Somali Federal Parliament approved a number of constitutional amendments, the activation of which observers confirmed would place the country on the path to adopting a presidential system, which would likely lead to strengthening the stability of the executive authority in its territory.
The amendments that included the first four chapters of the interim constitution of Somalia, the most prominent of which is granting the head of state the right to choose a prime minister and dismiss him, were only approved after weeks of heated debates in the two chambers of Parliament. The People's Assembly and the Senate. It also sparked widespread controversy in the country's political and media arenas.
Although critics of the recent amendments say that they may create the atmosphere for consolidating powers in the hands of the president, their supporters point out that they were drafted by an independent committee tasked with reviewing and implementing the constitution. They stress that putting it into practice will contribute to giving a more stable character to the governance equation in Mogadishu, by reducing the potential margin of differences between the heads of state and the government, who usually represent the two wings of the executive authority.
In this context, observers of Somali affairs point out that the past decade was full of disagreements between the presidencies of the republic and the government, which hindered the establishment of political stability in the country. Among these tensions was what broke out in 2021, between former President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed “Farmajo” and the Prime Minister at the time, Mohamed Hussein Roble, over political and security issues.
During the years 2013 and 2014, that is, in the two years immediately following the drafting of the interim constitution in effect so far in Somalia, disputes arose between then-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is also the current president, and two prime ministers during his reign, whether because of matters related to the constitution, or against the background of Government amendments, no consensus has been reached. Since the position of president was created in Somalia in 1960, the country has been ruled by 9 heads of state, the last four of whom were prime ministers who worked with them.
For its part, the Voice of America website quoted constitutional experts as saying that the conflict between the heads of state and government in Somalia has always been linked to the manner in which the constitutional powers granted to each of them were determined, and it is hoped that this will be overcome after Approval of the latest amendments.
Perhaps those hopes are what prompted 212 members of the People’s Assembly and 42 of their counterparts in the Senate to agree to approve the proposed draft of the first four chapters of the interim Somali constitution, without any of the members of the two chambers abstaining from voting, or expressing their refusal to take this step. .
praise
In statements published by the “Jaro Online” electronic news website, the General Federation of Trade Unions in Somalia praised the focus of these amendments on preserving human rights and providing protection for vulnerable groups in Somali society, in an implicit reference to the contents of the amended chapters, the emphasis on The right to freedom of expression, and ensuring the participation of Somali women in legislative councils and political parties.
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