Somalia: Federal Parliament session suspended for brawl
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- Posted On 11-11-2014, 06:56PM
MOGADISHU, Somalia Nov 11, 2014 (Garowe Online)-Somalia’s Federal Members of Parliament have engaged in brawl after a no confidence vote in the prime minister was presented for debate during extraordinary session on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports.
Photographic images taken from the parliamentary session show MPs raising A4 papers that read:” No [to] vote for cash,” referring to the lawmakers allegedly wooed with cash bribes by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Some MPs were also standing, blowing a whistle while others were pushing each other out of the way.
Parliament speaker Jawari adjourned the session for a day, saying the debate will be restarted on Wednesday.
The rowdy atmosphere in the 275-seat-chamber follows over a two-week old political dispute between President Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed.
Mediation efforts by UN envoy Nicholas Kay, British Ambassador Neil Wigan, EU’s Cervone and US special representative for Somalia James P. McAnulty yielded no major breakthrough on Sunday.
Persistent political infighting, rampant corruption and weak counter terrorism policy are said to have threatened the country’s loose state and peace building processes.
GAROWE ONLINE
