Somalia: Speaker suspends opposition leaders in attempt to pass Farmajo term extension proposal

On Saturday, in an unprecedented move, Somalian speaker Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdurahmancalled off the session in the lower house accusing opposition party members of creating ruckus in the house. What he claimed was chaos was a rebellious call against the Speaker and pro-government faction against their attempt to pass a proposal for term extension of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamedaka Farmajo. In a move to suppress opposing voices, the speaker issued a suspension order to 15 lawmakers, barring them from attending the next five sessions of the parliament.

Critics said that the Saturday session, which was called in hurriedly in the name of Covid-19 discussions, also included Farmajo’s term extension proposal, leading to the objections by the opposition leaders.

The country has been mired in a constitutional crisis since the outgoing President refused to step down even after the expiry of his tenure on February 7. Farmajo has been using heavy-handed tactics including security forces to keep the opposition voices at bay. Inside sources revealed that the country’s despotic premier has been closely looking into the military preparations made to ensure that the meeting hall in the House of Representatives building was empty of opposition representatives. 

Besides, he also levied a security cordon around the building to prevent any gathering of people. Farmajo also held discussions with the commander of the infantry forces and Fahd Yassin to review plans to combat opposition forces and render them paralyzed. In a most appalling revelation, the link between Somali National Intelligence and Security Service (NISA) and elements of the Al-Shabaab, an outlawed organization, surfaced. The two are said to be working hand-in-hand to aid Farmajo’s plan of suppressing people and protests demanding democracy in Somalia. Many lawmakers claimed that they have also received death threats for the same.

The international community including United Nations, the United States, Britain, and the European Union, has been pressuring the country to hold free and fair elections. They also warned the House speaker Mohamed Mursal against the extension of Farmajo’s mandate, which could throw the nation into his dictatorial trench. Besides, diplomatic pressure on the parliament speaker helped in postponing the parliament session earlier scheduled for Monday to next Wednesday.