​Somalia: Minister of Constitution, Speaker of Parliament controversially agree on limited referendum

MOGADISHU, Somalia- In the past weeks the Federal Ministry of Constitution has been holding consultative meetings in the capital Mogadishu with representatives from Federal member states and civil society to discuss on the process of reviewing country’s provisional constitution, Garowe Online reports.

Sources tell GO that Minister of Constitution, Abdirahman Hosh Jibril and the Speaker of Federal Parliament, Mohamed  Osman Jawari have been working privately to come up with plans on the process of holding referendum on the provisional constitution.

Both officials are said to be looking for funds from Somalia’s international donor and persuading international community to agree on plan to adopt indirect referendum rather than holding nation-wide referendum, according to the sources.

The plan involves selecting limited number of people from the civil society and make them vote in Mogadishu or in the capitals of Federal member states.

Previously, both officials have worked together on the process of implementing a limited referendum to adopt the provisional constitution in 2012, a process which created ongoing conflicts between the Federal government and regional states.   

Sources added the plan could be carried out similar to the previous agreement on the 4.5 clan based formula for the Somali election between Federal government and regional states.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Micheal Keating who mediated talks to adopt Somalia’s 4.5 clan based electoral process in 2016 election, has ushered a deal in return to implement popular one-man one-vote in 2020.

On the other hand, since the appointment of cabinet minister by Prime Minister Hasan Ali Khayre, representatives from the international donors were reported holding talks with several ministers to ink deals with regional states on revenue-sharing model on natural resources, a move warned by legal experts it would undermine the process of finalizing federalism in the country.  

Referendum on the Somali provisional constitution is one of the main challenging agenda for the current Federal government led by President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed Farmajo, which will determine the power-sharing between the Federal government and member states on main issues particularly on country’s natural resources.

GAROWEONLINE