Somalia’s Lower House Votes To Cancel Term Extension

Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Saturday voted unanimously to cancel a two-year presidential term extension it approved last month in a move to end an armed stand-off in the capital Mogadishu.

The lower house vote was broadcast on Somali television and came shortly after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed addressed parliament, saying he was directing his prime minister to spearhead preparations for the election.

The term extension was approved by lower house lawmakers last month but rejected by the Senate, provoking a political crisis that intensified in the past week.

The crisis over the term extension has raised fears that al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents could exploit the situation.

Also, Militants from al Shabaab took over at least one Somali town in the past week, with heavily armed fighters moving from the countryside into the capital city.

Between 60,000 and 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes following clashes on Sunday that stirred fears of all-out war between heavily armed factions for and against the president.

News Analysts have said that the parliament’s vote and the president’s delegation of election preparations to the prime minister appeared to be a good compromise.

Opposition leaders had accused the president of stalling, and security forces loyal to the opposition refused to withdraw from fortified positions in the capital.

It was not immediately clear what those forces would do following Saturday’s news from parliament.