Puntland State of Somalia
Garowe
Somalia: Puntland Condemns Former TFG President’s Political Interference
PRESS RELEASE
26 August 2012
Puntland Government strongly condemns and objects to steps taken by the former President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to intensify his interference and manipulation of the Somali political process, thus jeopardizing the Roadmap at its final stage.
The Somali people’s hope was inspired when the Technical Selection Committee (TSC) screened candidates for the new and reformed Somali Federal Parliament. The TSC was most praised, both nationally and internationally, for excluding candidates linked to clan warlords and extremism.
On Saturday night, the former TFG leaders whose mandate expired on Aug. 20 held a private meeting in Mogadishu. The former TFG President later issued an illegal decision that directly interferences with the political process and creates new obstacles to peace.
The former TFG President decided to illegally empower the TFG Supreme Court to interfere illegally with the agreed-upon selection process for Members of Parliament. It has been revealed that Chairman of the TFG Supreme Court, Mr. Aideed Ilkahanaf, personally went to the TSC compound, declared that the TSC mandate has expired, ordered the TSC members to handover documents and come to court.
He also ordered the eviction from the TSC meeting of a U.N. observer, Mr. Peter De Clerq, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG). International representatives are granted seven observer seats in the TSC, in accordance with the Galkayo Principles of 27 March 2012.
This is clear and direct interference against the Somali political process, which the U.N. is a guarantor. The former TFG leaders have no unilateral authority to issue national decisions and TFG Supreme Court has no authority to interfere in this national issue,
which is a Somali political matter rather than an administrative matter. The TSC should continue screening MP candidates until they publish a final list of 275 MPs prior to 28 August 2012.
Finally, Puntland Government urges the U.N., A.U., IGAD, and the wider international community to intervene immediately in this matter.
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