Xaashgi
The Speaker of Somalia’s Upper House of Parliament, Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, has launched an attack against President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, accusing him of violating the constitution and disregarding the role of the Upper House. Commenting on the president’s address before the Lower House of Parliament on Saturday, Speaker Hashi criticised the president for violating several provisions of the constitution regarding the role of the Upper House as the representative of regional states. Hashi slammed the president for saying that the Lower House of Parliament was the foundation of the Somali State. The Speaker of the Upper House reminded the president that the foundation of the Somali State were the three arms of government, namely, the Legislature (which is composed of the Upper House and Lower House), the Judiciary and the Executive.
The speaker seemed to be responding to the president’s statement to the Lower House that any agreement he reaches with regional leaders would have to be passed by them, in clear disregard for the role of Senators of the Upper House as the representatives of regional states in Parliament. Hashi’s remarks come as federal and regional states leaders gather in Dhusamareb town for the third phase of the talks between the federal government and the regional states over upcoming national elections among other key priority issues.
