Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-The Federal Parliament of Somalia on Wednesday started controversial debate over changes and amendments into the provisional constitution following the approval of the procedure to this on January 24, 2024.
Speaker of the Federal Parliament, Aden Mohamed Madobe described today's debate about the constitutional changes to be historic for the country after twelve years of being provisional one, urging the committee to provide explanation then parliamentarians to get enough space to debate about it.
Most of the lawmakers, who registered themselves to talk about the motion, suggested that working hours should be extended to even night times to continue debates as though there are other lawmakers who are opposed to the on-going activities, regarding to the discussion of the consititutional amendments.
"It is a great day today, it is a day in which we have been waiting for to come. I thank relevant committees who were working on the constitution to reach to this stage, in order, to make amendments into the constitution after a decade long", Mohamed Abukar, an MP said.
Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, a lawmaker raised question about the ongoing developments and debates of the Constitutional amendments, saying the constitution review is an important task, but it is not an urgent one.
"The constitution is a social contract that holds great significance in its ability to mitigate conflicts, establish stability, and foster peace in post-conflict societies. Constitutional experts agree that if an interim constitution is effective for the nation and a comprehensive review would only lead to more conflicts and instability, it should be avoided until the time is right for a comprehensive revision", Abdisharkur said.
Experts also raised cautions over the four chapters of the constititution presented to the lawmakers for discussion.
"In reality, almost every article and/or clause has been either modified or changed. Many new articles and clauses have been introduced. A few articles have been deleted. If the remaining chapters of the constitution mirror the four chapters presented here, it is going to be a new constitution. It is unbelievable. But, it provides us with a lot of issues to discuss in the weeks and months to come", Professor Ayare A. Elmi said on X after reading it.
The President of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, reiterated the government’s commitment to completing the constitution.
"“To stand as stable, we have two key things to do to attract global actions. First, we need to liberate our country from the terrorists group and maintain peace. And secondly, we have to have a complete constitution that guides the functions of our country,” the president said during a speech at several occasions in Mogadishu.
