Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” is likely to survive an impeachment motion, but he is not sitting pretty as he approaches the end of two years in power. Besides uneasy relations with some leaders of regional states that suspended co-operation with the Central State in September, President Farmajo is accused of seeking to create a strong central government, contrary to the 2012 Provisional Constitution that provides for federalism.
The central government has tried to influence the South West State presidential elections set for December 19. Mogadishu is opposed to the candidature of Mukhtar Robow, a former leader of Al Shabaab. Mr Robow was arrested on Thursday by Ethiopian forces in Baidoa, in South West state. The impeachment motion has divided the country, leading to pro-Farmajo demonstrations in Mogadishu on December 10, and anti-Farmajo demonstrations on Thursday and Friday in Baidoa, where it was reported that 11 people had been killed in clashes.
So far 78 MPs have signed the motion, while at least 92 MPs out of the 275 members are required to ask the Speaker to consider the motion. Parliamentary Secretary Abdulkarim Buh said the motion could not be considered because 14 of the signatures were forgeries. President Farmajo could also benefit from lack of clear constitutional rules for impeachment.
The sponsors of the impeachment motion say they were concerned about an announcement in June, during Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Mogadishu, that Addis Ababa was developing four ports in Somalia. Abdullahi Abdi Mohamed, the chairman of the Aratgi Wadaag Political Think Tank, said that some regional state leaders and an alliance of the opposition were behind the impeachment motion, but they would not succeed because the number of signatures required was too high.
For the motion to pass, it requires two-thirds of both the Lower House and the Senate. According to Article 92 (2) of the Provisional Constitution, the motion should be submitted to the Constitutional Court that will then determine the validity of the reasons for impeachment. A similar impeachment motion against former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud could not proceed due to unclear impeachment rules.
