MOGADISHU–The bicameral parliament of Somalia unanimously approved the completion and amendment of the national constitution in a joint session held at the parliament compound in Mogadishu yesterday. The session was presided over by the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Mr. Adam Mohamed Nur, also known as Adan Madobe. According to reports, 222 MPs attended the session, with 37 of them being members of the House of the Senate, and one voting online. The Parliamentary Speaker announced that the MPs voted separately and unanimously approved the new constitution, with no abstentions or votes against it. He stated, “The new constitution has been approved. This is a historic moment and the MPs should be commended for their efforts.” Mr. Burhan Adam Omar, Chair of the Independent Committee responsible for reviewing and implementing the constitution, stated that the new constitution will be validated once the Somali President signs it into law. The current President, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is expected to promptly sign the approved constitution into law once it is sent to the presidency. The completion of the national constitution is seen as a major achievement for the country by the President and his government. However, the President has been facing criticism from the Somali Future Council, who have accused him of implementing a one-sided constitution without inclusive national agreement. On January 28, an agenda was tabled to the bicameral parliament by the Somali Federal Government, pushing for the amendment and approval of the constitution. This sparked controversy within the parliament, with lawmakers divided on the agenda. Those in opposition argued that it was not appropriate to amend the constitution at this time, as the current government’s term is set to expire. They pledged to not allow the plan pushed by Villa Somalia, the presidential palace, which caused commotion during parliamentary sessions. As a result, the Parliamentary Speaker issued a decision on July 8 to ban MPs who were causing disruptions from attending parliamentary sessions. This led to 50 MPs from both the Lower and Upper Houses boycotting the sessions. Meanwhile, MPs in favor of the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, wrapped up debates on the constitutional amendment in just 20 days, despite the fact that such debates typically take around four months to complete. The parliamentary session held yesterday, in which the parliament ratified the constitutional amendment and its completion, was a major plan pushed by Villa Somalia, as the current administration intends to hold one-man one-vote elections in the country. The incumbent Somali President has a dream to complete and amend the constitution and hold democratic elections, similar to those that took place 50 years ago.
