Somalia parliament approves controversial constitutional amendments amid election dispute
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s bicameral federal parliament on Wednesday approved additional controversial amendments to two chapters of the country’s provisional constitution, a move that could deepen political tensions and dim hopes for an amicable resolution to the long-running dispute over upcoming elections. Parliamentary officials said 186 members of the House of the People and 36 […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s bicameral federal parliament on Wednesday approved additional controversial amendments to two chapters of the country’s provisional constitution, a move that could deepen political tensions and dim hopes for an amicable resolution to the long-running dispute over upcoming elections.
Parliamentary officials said 186 members of the House of the People and 36 senators attended the session and unanimously endorsed the changes to the 4th and 15th chapters of the constitution.
Speaker Adan Madobe, speaking after the vote, declared that the constitution had been approved and was no longer provisional.
The Somali Future Council – a coalition bringing together the Puntland and Jubaland state administrations and opposition leaders — condemned the vote as unconstitutional.
The council said the amendments failed to secure the required two-thirds approval of the aggregate membership of both houses of parliament, as stipulated in parliamentary charters.
It further asserted that constitutional changes cannot be enacted through subjugation, bribery, intimidation or coercion, accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of employing such tactics to secure passage of the amendments.
Analysts say the decision is likely to inflame further tensions between the federal government and the council at a critical juncture, as the government’s term approaches expiration and no plans have been announced to hold elections, raising the specter of a constitutional and power vacuum.
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