Impeachment motion against Somali president fails

Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-12 18:33:11|Editor: mym
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MOGADISHU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A no confidence motion filed against Somali President Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo has been declared invalid after some of the lawmakers who reportedly signed it denied supporting it.

Abdikarim Haji Buh, Secretary General of Somalia Parliament, said 14 out of 92 lawmakers said to have appended their signatures to impeach president Farmajo denied having signed the petition, saying the list was submitted without their consent.

"My office has received complaints from 14 members of the House whose names were listed in the sheet of members moving the motion against the President of the federal republic," Buh said in a letter to the Lower House Speaker.

He said the 14 legislators said they did not support the motion which was filed on Sunday, noting that their signatures had been erroneously included in the petition.

Buh said the remaining number of petitioners could not reach the required constitutional threshold to table the impeachment motion as per article 92 (2) of the provisional constitution of Somalia.

"If you deduct 14 from the previous 92 the result is 78, thus according to article 92 sub article 2 motion cannot proceed as per the constitutional requirement," Buh said.

According to the constitution, the president can be dismissed by a joint session of the parliament comprising of 276 lawmakers of the Lower House and 54 Upper House with a two third majority.

Buh said the petition could not take place as petitioners failed to gather enough support to move to the next stage.

On Tuesday, first and second deputy speakers Abdiweli Mudey and Mahad Awad said such motion against a sitting president will only create unnecessary political crisis in the country given there is no constitutional court to rule on the legality of the motion.

The move comes after Speaker Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman confirmed officially receiving and approved the filed motion from 92 lawmakers, a third of the House.

The lawmakers accused the president of abusing the oath of office and presidential powers by authorizing the rendition of the leader of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Muse Qalbi Dhagah from Somalia to Ethiopia.

The motion also accuses Farmajo of signing "secret agreements" with the foreign governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea and also of interfering in regional politics and unprocedural military appointments or abuse of military codes.

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