Somalia's new PM issues orders to caretaker cabinet

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MOGADISHU, Somalia - In a bid to avoid delivery of unconstitutional judgments, Somalia's new Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has issued a circular to the caretaker cabinet, which is yet to be replaced, and whose stay is being questioned from certain quarters.

Under the current constitutional dispensation, a cabinet ceases to be when the appointing authority leaves office. All the current cabinet ministers were appointed by Hassan Ali Khaire, who was kicked out by MPs in July after acrimonious fallout with President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

And in line with that, most decisions made by cabinet as currently constituted can be challenged in a court of law thus the caution from Roble, a former International Labor Organization [ILO] engineer who was entrusted with the duties barely a fortnight ago.

In a circular issued on Sunday, Roble asked the caretaker ministers to ensure they give copies and make reference to his office for all official letters and correspondences from their respective offices to avoid unconstitutional decisions during the transitional period.

The circular added that no decision should be undertaken without full acknowledgment of the office of the Prime Minister, which coordinates all government functions. The order was issued as the PM consults on probable names for the cabinet slots as the country prepares for elections.

Soon after issuing the tough order, the PM jetted to Kuwait with a sizeable delegation where they are scheduled to offer condolences to Kuwaiti people following the demise of the Amir Sheikh Sabah, who died last week after almost 14 years at the helm of leadership in the Gulf nation.

And on Saturday, PM Roble also maintained that his administration will conduct the elections based on the Mogadishu agreement, arguing that the polls remain his major mandate. The PM is mandated to coordinate government affairs among them putting necessary measures to ensure elections are held.

"My government and I will organize a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful electoral process in Somalia and as defined in our agreement which was signed a few days ago. We have to ensure that the political process goes on as planned for the sake of stability," said the PM, who was appointed by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on September 17, 2020.

"As you servants, our main focus is to ensure all government operations are handled in a proper manner. You don't have to panic over these short term issues that will end sooner rather than later. It's important that the nation comes first before anything," he added.

The new cabinet will take over for close to four months until elections are held in the Horn of Africa nation. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is facing strong opposition from former PM Hassan Ali Khaire, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and Wadajir party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.

GAROWE ONLINE

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