Somalia: Farmajo suspends Parliament session aimed at ousting speaker

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo suspended Saturday's parliament session aimed at ousting the embattled house speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari, Garowe Online reports.

The sitting which was expected the opposition MPs allied to the PM Hassan Ali Khaire to vote on a controversial impeachment motion has been “put on hold” after intervention by President Farmajo. The motion now flops as it passes its deadline.

The move came after a night talk between Farmajo, Jawari, two deputy speakers, Abdiweli Ibrahim Mudey and Mahad Abdalla Awad focusing on opening dialogue to resolve the current political crisis.

The speaker of the parliament has welcomed the President's intervention in the deadlock and called on the MPs supporting him to have the same opinion for peaceful means to resolve political differences.

The crisis began early this month after lawmakers linked to the PM's office filled the impeachment motion against the speaker, accusing him of being an impediment to the Parliamentary procedures.

Notably, a majority of the signatories of the motion were Ministers, including the Security and Finance Ministers Mohamed Abukar Islow and Abdirahman Dualle Beyle respectively and several deputy Ministers.

Jawari who has been the Speaker since August 2012 blamed the PM for the current political impasse and plotting the motion against him in a bid to concentrate all powers in the country under the executive.

Early, the International community urged Somali leaders to respect the rule of law and the Constitution in ending the impasse that risks derailing hard-earned political and security gains in the past 12 months.

GAROWE ONLINE