Somalia: Lawmakers looking to impeach president

(Reuters) – Some Somali lawmakers said on Wednesday they plan to impeach the president in a mounting political crisis that could put endanger the fledgling government.

The political turmoil endangers fragile gains against the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist al-Shabaab and could derail the government of President Mohamed Abdullahi.
Universally known by his nickname “Farmajo”, he took power earlier this year after winning the election.

Somalia’s parliament adjourned last week until the end of February, but some legislators want it to reconvene on an emergency basis, lawmaker Mahad Salad told reporters.
“Ninety-six lawmakers have asked the speaker to reopen the session so that the impeachment against the president kicks off. The president is accused of violation of the constitution, treason, destruction of the federal states and so on,” he said.

The letter had not yet been delivered to the speaker. There are 275 lawmakers and two-thirds would have to vote against the president to impeach him.

Somalia’s new government has won plaudits for trying to assess the extent of mismanagement and corruption in the armed forces and public sector. But at home, the government has many problems.

It has hired and fired a string of top security officials; al-Shabaab militants, skilled at exploiting clan divisions, stepped up a campaign of deadly bombings in Mogadishu. One October bomb killed more than 500 people.

A split between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, both of which have supported Somali factions, has fuelled a spat between the president and leaders of Somalia’s regional administrations, damaging security cooperation.

Now many parliamentarians are angry that a government that promotes itself as reformist is gradually becoming intolerant, said Abdirizak Mohamed, a lawmaker and former security minister.

“MPs are concerned about freedom of expression and association. This was an unnecessary crisis when they already had a lot on their plate.”