Mogadishu Mayor Yusuf Hussein Madale has on Sunday appealed to members of the Federal Parliament of Somalia to expedite the ongoing process to amend the constitution.
Speaking at a special session of the Parliamentary committee of security and internal affairs, Madale called on the lawmakers to desist from being swayed in to political sides and instead unite in passing constitutional changes which he said is critical for Somalia at this time.
He highlighted the recent significance achievement the Somali government made in different areas including the lifting of arms embargo, debt relief and joining of the East African Community regional bloc, asserting there is need for the country to move forward with new legislation and amendments of the provisional constitution.
Madale commended the legislators for enacting the procedural approach for amending the constitution despite heavy criticism and division among the members of parliament.
Somalia’s bicameral Parliament unanimously passed a resolution in late last month establishing the procedural framework for amending the country’s constitution.
Speaker of Parliament Sheikh Adan Madobe, announced that 220 MPs voted in favor of the motion while 30 lawmakers opposed.
The approval came amid disquiet and concerns from former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, along with some parliament members over what they termed as hasty procedures of amendment of the constitution.
They called for broader consultations among the different political actors in the country to avoid plunging the nation in to political turmoil and division.
Somalia’s transitional constitution has remained unamended since 2004 when the interim government was formed in Djibouti after years of civil war that scattered away the central government.
