From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Mon Sep 15 2008 - 14:52:35 EDT
Somalia's leader calls parliament decision 'illegal'
15 Sep 15, 2008 - 1:22:12 PM
MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 15 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf has called a recent parliamentary vote "illegal" after lawmakers rejected the return of pro-Yusuf Cabinet ministers who resigned in July, Radio Garowe reported Monday.
President Yusuf held a press conference at the Villa Somalia presidential palace in Mogadishu yesterday, saying he has re-sent the decision back to parliament for a second vote.
President Yusuf and PM Nur Adde
"The President and the Prime Minister have the legal authority to accept or reject Cabinet members so it is no Parliament's decision," the Somali President said.
He further stated that lawmakers' Friday vote "violated" an agreement inked last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ending a weeks-long constitutional showdown between the President and his Prime Minister, Mr. Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein. [ READ: Lawmakers reject resigned Cabinet ministers]
A tenet in the Addis Ababa Agreement called for Prime Minister Nur Adde to accept the return of the 10 Cabinet ministers, who resigned in protest after launching accusations against the Prime Minister.
President Yusuf warned against the "collapse of the Transitional Federal Government" and the creation of "renewed political infighting" if the Parliament is allowed to "violate" the Horn of Africa country's provisional constitution.
'Not illegal': Parliament Speaker
The Speaker of Somalia's transitional Parliament, Mr. Adan "Madobe" Mohamed, defended Parliament's vote in comments to the press today.
"I do not think Parliament will change its decision," Speaker Madobe said, adding that Friday's vote was "not illegal" and was well within Parliament's legislative powers to ratify Cabinet ministers.
While Speaker Madobe did not directly challenge President Yusuf, he indicated that the transitional constitution is "above government leaders and government branches."
Somalia's UN-endorsed interim government was established in 2004 to help restore national order after nearly 18 years of conflict.
But the government's progress has been hampered by armed resistance from Islamist rebels and endless political wrangling among the government's top leaders.
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----