Thursday September 9, 2021
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman accused Prime Minister Roble of thwarting government oversight by unilaterally firing the former Internal Security Minister Hassan Hundubey Jimale and replaced him with a vocal Farmaajo detractor.
In a statement released on Thursday evening, the speaker said the PM's appointee was not approved by parliament and thus null and void.
“I respectfully inform you that the House of the Parliament has received information according to which the designated minister has been sworn in today by the Minister of Justice of your government without seeking the approval of the House in accordance with Article 69 (d) and Article 100 (C) of the Federal Constitution and Article 104 on the swearing-in of members of the Council of Ministers of the Federal Government, ”Mursal said.
“Mr. Prime Minister, as you know, the taking of the oath of members of the Council of Ministers of the Federal Government in the House of the Parliament is not simply a taking of the oath but a process of approval and taking of the oath in order to that members can officially take office. Traditionally, if the session is open, it is approved and sworn in by the General Assembly. If the session of the House is closed, it will be approved and sworn in by the Standing Committee on behalf of the House of the Parliament,” he added.
Prime Minister Mohamed Roble officiated the swearing-in ceremony of the new Security Minister Abdullahi Mohamed Nur on Thursday afternoon, despite protests from the sacked ex-Minister, Hassaan Hundubey, and President Farmajo.
The PM's move would effectively consolidate power within Somalia's security apparatus, as the Internal Security Ministry is the parent agency for all security, intelligence agencies and police.
Despite officially without a constitutional mandate, the speaker emphasized that there is no vacancy in government in the country and that the 10th parliament will continue to function until its replacement is elected.
Mursal is a close ally of President Farmajo and was instrumental in organizing the Lower House vote to extend Farmajo's term for two years which brought the country to the brink of war.
