Somali President Mohamed Farmajo addresses the parliament in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 1, 2021. The Somali parliament voted on Saturday to annul the April 12 mandate extension bill which extended the terms of the executive and legislative arms of the federal government by two years. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua)
MOGADISHU, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Somali parliament voted on Saturday to annul the April 12 mandate extension bill which extended the terms of the executive and legislative arms of the federal government by two years.
President Mohamed Farmajo who addressed the Lower House of Parliament in Mogadishu before the vote asked the lawmakers to rescind an existing law passed that would have seen Somalia conduct a popular vote.
Instead, Farmajo told parliament to revert to the Sept. 17, 2020 pre-election deal which was agreed between the federal government and five leaders of the federal member states.
He said the Sept. 17 deal was unanimously supported by the national consultative forum in order to save the country from political instability and to urgently head to commonly agreed elections.
The parliament said some 140 legislators voted to annul the controversial bill which plunged Somalia into a political crisis that later erupted into fighting on April 25 between government forces and those backing the opposition.
Farmajo told the lawmakers that Prime Minister Mohamed Roble will spearhead the preparation and implementation of the electoral process including key election security arrangements to ensure elections take place in a peaceful and stable atmosphere.
He said Roble will be in charge of organizing and inviting for a summit between the government and leaders of federal member states.
Farmajo called on the federal member state leaders to get ready for the next round of consultative talks on the electoral process, building on the work of the technical committee which met in Baidoa in the southwestern region on Feb. 15-17.
"I urge the government to prepare for this major challenge ahead," he said, adding that he has decided to seek dialogue to solve the current crisis in Mogadishu.
Farmajo who sent his condolences to the people who were killed and wounded in the recent clashes in Mogadishu said he cannot allow the country to descend into chaos. Enditem
