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| Africa Horn |
| UN envoy welcomes expansion of Somali Parliament |
| 2009-01-27 |
| (Xinhua) -- UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah on Monday welcomed the overwhelming vote by Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament in favour of expanding the legislative body by an additional 275 Members. "I am extremely encouraged by this vote and I would like to thank Somalia's leaders, the Parliamentarians and all those who have helped work towards such a positive step," Ould-Abdallah saidin a statement issued in Nairobi. The Parliamentary vote, which took place in Djibouti on Monday, resulted in 211 MPs voting in favour of expansion with six against and three abstentions. The Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia agreed last October on the outline of enlarging Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament and forming a Government of National Unity. Up to 200 new members of Parliament, selected by the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) are expected to be sworn in Djibouti while the expanded Parliament will subsequently elect a new president. The other 75 seats are being kept for members of civil society and opposition who are not members of the ARS. "This is a very good result and will demonstrate to the Somali people that their leaders are committed to moving forward together to restore peace and stability," said Ould-Abdallah. The international community hopes a more inclusive Somali government will be able to reach out to armed groups who are still fighting the interim government and targeting African Union peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu. "It means Somalia will have a new President who will be able to attend the African Union Summit of Heads of State in Addis Ababa on Feb. 1, demonstrating the progress that was made here in a short space of time." "The international community has also made a key contribution with support for the Parliamentary meetings and, as always, Djibouti has provided most welcome hospitality and backing," said the UN special representative. ARS leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed announced on Sunday he would contest the presidential election. Sharif and Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein are seen as the two main presidential contenders. More than a dozen candidates are expected to vie to succeed former President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who stepped down last month after falling out with the prime minister over a UN-backed peace deal. The lawmakers are also mulling whether to extend by some 10 days over Wednesday's deadline for choosing a new president, to allow contenders time to campaign. But Ould-Abdallah had earlier urged the parliament to respect its Jan. 28 deadline for selecting Yusuf's successor. Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president, who in turn will appoint a new prime minister, should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of the last one. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 So now it's, what, twenty pounds of shit in a five pound bag? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-01-27 11:13 |