 |
Somali Transitional Parliament Votes out Against Govt
Somalia's transitional parliament Sunday voted out against the government led by Prime Minister Ali Khalif Gallaydh under the tightened security.
The result came after 174 parliamentarians cast their votes either to support or sack the government. The decision on voting was made when the parliament was in serious debates and divided over the possibility of sacking the government.
Of the 174 members of the parliament, 141 voted no for the government of Ali Khalif, while 29 cast their votes in favor of the government and only four remained silent and indifferent.
As the votes were counted, Abdalleh Derow Issak, speaker of the parliament, announced that the voting was effective, saying that according to the Somali constitution, the government has lost the confidence of the parliament which makes the prime minister and his 84-member cabinet ministers lose their jobs.
The government has been in place almost a year now. However, the speaker said the current government will remain in place until the president again nominates a new prime minister who then in his turn will have to formulate his government in 30 days.
Salah Nooh Ismael, one of the MPs who was disappointed about the whole business, has described the vote of no confidence against Ali Khalif as a plot masterminded by the president and the speaker of the parliament.
He said what he called money and clan influence have been used so as to woo the no vote for the government.
Nonetheless, one of the ministers who lost their jobs Sunday has characterized how everything happened as a giant step forward.
Ali Mohamed Arraleh, deputy information minister, said he is happy even though he has lost his job. "Because it took place democratically," he said, adding: "it is a new page in Somalia's history which teaches our people that the top government officials can be sacked, can be held account for their responsibilities and if they fail can be kicked out."
Some people believe that this sacking of the government is aimed at creating a room for those opposition leaders to join the government.
In This Section
|