Somali Lawmakers Remove Prime Minister in No-Confidence Vote
Somalia Lawmakers Remove Prime Minister in No-Confidence Vote
Somalia lawmakers removed Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and his cabinet in a no-confidence vote that’s likely to delay elections due this year and risk further instability in the Horn of Africa nation.
The vote was backed by 170 lawmakers, with only eight others rejecting the motion, according to Parliament speaker Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman on Saturday.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is known as Farmaajo, said he welcomed the decision and would name a new prime minister shortly.
“The rift between the government and the legislature is undermining the progress that has been made, and to that end I have decided to consider the voice of the House of Representatives as the foundation of our nationhood,” Farmaajo said in a statement.
Khaire, who was appointed as prime minister in 2017, earlier this month said legislative elections should be held this year as the current term of Parliament ends in December. The national electoral commission, which has yet to announce a timetable, argues for the vote to be held next year, citing delays in preparations. A presidential contest is due February 2021.
Opposition groups and some regional authorities have said they won’t accept an electoral delay, according to the International Crisis Group.
An opponent of the no-confidence motion, lawmaker Mohamed Abukar Islow, described the decision as a “setback” for peace.
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