Monday, May 16, 2011
The transitional Parliament in Somalia broke ranks with the interim Transitional Federal Government in February by voting to extend its mandate for one year.
The U.N. Security Council had objected to the decision saying it was time to move the political process forward.
Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, told the U.N. News Center that there were agreements reached two years ago that called for an August end to the interim period.
"The problem is that neither Parliament nor the government want change," he said. "And that is the crux of the paralysis."
Previous agreements outlined an inclusive political process aimed at drafting a new constitution and the development of a permanent government.
Somalia hasn't had a functioning central government since 1991. Interim authorities struggle to exert control beyond a small area of authority in Mogadishu. Meanwhile, al-Shabaab, the country's al-Qaida affiliate, is fighting to establish an Islamic state in the country.
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