Somalia: New Prime Minister nominates cabinet

Somalia’s new prime minister nominated a 20-member cabinet, his second attempt at forming a government almost two months after his predecessor was ousted in a no-confidence vote by the country’s parliament.

The cabinet was named following “extensive consultations with the president, speaker of parliament, members of parliament and key stakeholders within the Somali society,” Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday. He urged parliament to “extend confidence” in the team as the country prepares for elections by September 2016.

The African Union last week urged Somalia’s politicians to expedite the process of appointing a new cabinet or risk jeopardizing the peace process in the country. The government is implementing a program known as Vision 2016, which envisages finalizing a provisional constitution, creating federal institutions and overseeing a constitutional referendum by next year.

Somalia is struggling to rebuild its economy after more than 2 decades of conflict – since the ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Government forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, have been battling an insurgency by al-Qaeda-backed Islamist militants – the al-Shabaab since 2006.

The new prime minister is expected to present his cabinet and its program to the Somali parliament in the coming days, when a vote of confidence will be carried out to endorse or reject the new ministerial line-up.

Source: Agencies