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| Africa Horn |
| Somaliland Troops 'Seize Parliament,' |
| 2009-08-31 |
| Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Irro," Speaker of Somaliland's lower house of parliament, the 82-seat House of Representatives, told reporters in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa that he was "informed by the police chief" that the troops do not take orders from parliament's leadership. Security forces that normally guard the parliament building in Hargeisa were instructed to leave, as hundreds of soldiers dispatched from President Dahir Riyale's office surrounded the parliament building and cordoned off nearby streets. Somaliland's elected lawmakers were prevented from entering the parliament building, where they were expected to continue debate on the political deadlock between the Riyale administration and opposition parties over the September 27 presidential election. Speaker Irro, who addressed a crowd of civilians gathered around the parliament building, said: "You see, your elected parliament has been taken over by soldiers. Journalists are prevented from reporting." The House of Representatives is dominated by opposition lawmakers who voted earlier this month to urge the Riyale administration to re-consider a decision not to use the registered voters' list in next month's election. |
| Posted by:Pappy |