Monday January 1, 2024
Garowe (HOL) - The Chairman of the Electoral Dispute Resolution and Vetting Committee, Isak Ahmed Hassan, has objected to the recent announcement of the new Puntland Parliament members, alleging that it is unlawful and lacking his signature of approval.
During a press conference in Garowe on Monday, the chairman accused the Puntland presidency of openly interfering with the parliamentary list. This interference led to his departure from the parliament building late last night after a dispute with members of the dispute committee.
The chairman further stated that the Presidency presented a lengthy list of MPs, which he refused to include, emphasizing that those brought forward were not qualified to represent the destiny of Puntland.
"The team from the Presidency came to us yesterday; we were shown a list that we don't recognize. Seventy percent of those on that list did not go through the proper process. They lacked the necessary files, and their faces were unfamiliar to us. This created shock and controversy. The controversy persisted until last night," the chairman explained.
The chairman's remarks followed the official announcement of the list of members for the new Puntland Parliament on Monday morning, despite the controversy surrounding the selection process of regional lawmakers.
Notably, the list included 17 members from the SSC-Khatumo, even though the Supreme Council of SSC-Khaatumo had previously declared that the newly formed SSC-Khaatumo administration would no longer be part of the semi-autonomous northern Somali state of Puntland.