The state administrations of Puntland and Jubbaland federal member states have strongly opposed the decision of the members of the parliament to extend the term of the various institutions of the Federal Government of Somalia.
A statement from the Jubbaland presidency said the decision by the parliament to extend the term was illegal and could lead to delays.
“Jubaland declares that what happened in the outgoing House of the People parliament has no legal basis. This is a reversal of the state-building process,” the Jubbaland statement said.
Meanwhile, Puntland’s Minister for Finance Hassan Shire Abdi said that a coup d’état took place in Somalia similar to that of former Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre.
He said that the events currently happening in the Somali capital, Mogadishu was not acceptable to Puntland regional state and that it was a broad daylight insult to democracy.
The two Federal member states of Somalia said that the decision of the House of the People was illegal and an affront to the gains made by the Somali nation over the years.
The statement from Puntland and the Jubbaland regional states comes at a time when most opposition politicians are opposed to the decision to extend the term of the House of Representatives.
Somalia’s lower house of parliament voted on Monday to extend the president’s term by two years.
149 legislators backed the proposal. The resolution also orders the election commission of Somalia to hold new elections in under two years.
BY OSMAN HUSSEIN ALI
