Monday, June 20, 2011

Two Shariifs at it again, Fresh Row Between President Sharif and Speaker Hassan over Possible Farmaajo Successor

Somali Prime Minister Resigns as Part of a Political Deal update

Mogadishu, Somalia (tf.sf) - The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia on Monday reportedly postponed a function in which the executive authorities were expected to name a new prime minister after Sunday’s resignation of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

Government sources told terror free somalia that a fresh disagreement between president Sharif and Speaker Hassan may have led to the postponement of an anticipated announcement of a new prime minister for Somalia.
In the early morning hours on Monday, the president and the speaker were locked up in a meeting at government headquarters in the capital Mogadishu. The two were said to have been conversing over the probable successor for the premier’s office.Public relations officials of the government have invited the local media for the faltered naming ceremony which was delayed due to what internal sources said was a ‘fresh row’ between the speaker and the president that cropped up yet again.

"We noticed enraged speaker Hassan coming out of the office of the president and immediately boarded his vehicle. We were later told the anticipated naming function was delayed” one Mogadishu-based reporter told tf.sf.
Local reporters who were invited and were present for the function said some government officials told them that it appeared the two Sharif’s failed to agree over who should take over the vacant office.
Some reports indicated that the president proposed the name of the acting Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali who took over office on Sunday. The speaker was seemingly opposed to the president’s proposal.
This latest emerging row between the president and the parliament speaker is a testimony to the endless political undertones that have marred the fragile western-backed government.
Persistent squabbling between the president and the speaker has hampered the efficiency of the interim authority where the two executive officials are embroiled in a heated political standoff that many analysts described as a very unfortunate one for Somali where a two-decade conflict still continues unabated.


Illegal and Dangerous Deal forces Somali PM out of office

Somalia's prime minister has resigned, giving in to pressure from the country's president and the parliamentary speaker.

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's resignation follows a deal between the president and the speaker to oust him while extending the troubled administration's term.

"Considering the interest of the Somali people and the current situation in Somalia, I have decided to leave my office," Mohamed told reporters in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday.

Protests in support of Mohamed erupted in Mogadishu as the word of his resignation got out. Hundreds marched through the streets saying that Mohamed was the only honest politician in the government.

Reports suggest some soldiers also joined the protests and abandoned their posts.

Deal suspected

Earlier this month, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the Somalian president, and Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden, the speaker, agreed to dismiss Mohamed after only eight months as prime minister as part of their deal to extend the transitional government.

Some analysts believe members of the ethnic Darood tribe from the Puntland region pressured the president and the speaker to replace the prime minister, an ethnic Ogadeni, with one of their own. Others suggest the speaker wants to replace Mohamed with a close associate. The president went along in order to keep his own job.

Mohamed initially rejected the deal and threatened to call people to the streets. Some analysts believe Yoweri Museveni, the Ugandan president, played a role in bringing about his eventual resignation.

With several thousand Ugandan peacekeepers guarding Somalian officials, the Ugandan government is influential in shaping Somalia's internal politics.

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