GAROWE, Somalia June 15 (Garowe Online) - The regional parliament in Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland State voted on Monday on the new constitution after weeks of debate, Radio Garowe reports.

The extraordinary session in the Puntland capital Garowe was chaired by parliament Speaker Abdirashid Mohamed Hersi and attended by 58 MPs of the 66-seat Puntland parliament.

Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed “Farole,” the president of Puntland, gave the keynote address and told lawmakers that the political and security situation in Puntland is stable while underscoring that the region has improved its international standing in recent months.

Puntland MPs listened to the Presiden’s speech, who called on the lawmakers to vote on the new constitution and ratify the Council of Ministers that were appointed in January.

When the MPs voted, both the new constitution and the Cabinet were ratified unanimously without any changes being made to the region’s new constitution, which calls for a multi-party political system among other major reforms.

President Farole officially opened the ordinary session of the Puntland Parliament, which opens every year on June 15. The extraordinary session ended with lawmakers approving the 2009 budget, the Council of Ministers and the new constitution.

Afterwards, President Farole led a vehicle convoy out of Garowe en route to the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso, from where he is expected to fly to Washington, D.C., on an official invitiation.

Source: Garowe Online