Somalia's transitional govt to face confidence vote in parliament

[General Duke]

Somalia's transitional govt to face confidence vote in parliament

7 Oct 7, 2007 - 1:25:30 PM

 

BAIDOA, Somalia Oct 7 (Garowe Online) - The interim government of Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi will face a vote of confidence in parliament this week, lawmakers said today.

 

Tens of MPs have been pouring into the inland town of Baidoa, 250km northwest of Mogadishu, in recent days in preparation for the confidence vote.

 

Several MPs have introduced the motion in parliament, but inside sources said lawmakers are deeply divided on the vote.

 

 

Somali PM Gedi

Prime Minister Gedi has many supporters in parliament and has survived two such motions during his three-year tenure as prime minister.

 

But a large number of MPs want to bring down Gedi's government, citing anything from the misappropriation of public funds to rising insecurity.

 

The anti-Gedi camp within parliament wants President Abdullahi Yusuf to name a new Prime Minister, who will in turn appoint fresh faces in the Cabinet.

 

President Yusuf and Premier Gedi have not been on the best of terms in recent weeks, even though Gedi hoped to quell concerns yesterday when he said there was "no dispute" between him and the Somali president.

 

Legal analysts say Gedi cannot be renamed by President Yusuf to a third consecutive term under restrictions detailed in the interim government's constitution.

 

Yusuf reappointed Gedi as Prime Minister in two past occasions when the majority of MPs voted his government out. Lawmakers have been grilling Gedi's Cabinet ministers in recent weeks to answer questions about finances and ministry operations.

 

Source: Garowe Online