Somalia set to review constitution
Somali army soldiers walk next to the Somali parliament in Mogadishu after an attack, on May 24, 2014. The council of ministers led by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed on Thursday appointed five prominent persons to lead the process of reviewing the provisional constitution. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- The Cabinet, which was holding its regular weekly gathering, endorsed a recommendation tabled by the Ministry of Justice and constitutional Affairs.
MOGADISHU, Thursday
The council of ministers led by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed on Thursday appointed five prominent persons to lead the process of reviewing the provisional constitution.
The Cabinet, which was holding its regular weekly gathering, endorsed a recommendation tabled by the Ministry of Justice and constitutional Affairs.
According to a statement released after the meeting, the commission includes Ms Aisha Ghelle Dirie, Professor Hassan Omar Mahadalle and Engineer Osman Jama Ali (Kalluun). Others are Mr Mohamed Abdalla Salah and Mr Hassan Hussein Haji.
REVIEW PROCESS
Somali Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir stated that his office selected individuals with the capacity to lead the process of reviewing and completing the provisional constitution (before undergoing a nationwide referendum).
“I thank my fellow ministers for overwhelmingly supporting my ministry’s nomination,” said Mr Abdulkadir.
Prime Minister Ahmed spared no words in appreciating the approval of the independent commission.
“We have taken a solid step towards state building in Somalia,” remarked PM Ahmed.
In August 2012, a provisional constitution was endorsed by a constituent assembly made of 850 delegates selected from all Somali clans. It replaced the Transitional Federal Charter that had been used since the end of the landmark Somali Reconciliation Conference in Nairobi Kenya (2002-2004).
GENERAL ELECTIONS
The current federal government and the federal parliament are expected to work hard on reviewing and completing the provisional constitution prior to the envisaged general elections in Somalia in 2016.
The document will become an officially endorsed constitution once it undergoes a popular referendum.
Last week, the federal parliament appointed a parliamentary team to finalise a constitutional draft. Among other activities, the parliamentary sub-committee is to undertake thorough studies and research to come up with a formula that can produce free and fair elections in Somalia by 2016.
Professor Mohamed Osman Jawari, the speaker of the parliament, said that a joint committee will be formed with the government that will widely consult with the public and the authorities in different regions.
