The new Somali MPs flee their HQs for security reasons

The opposition lawmakers have been campaigning for the election to be moved from Villa Hargeisa to a safer place, citing a lack of security guarantee of parliament whose headquarters is under construction.

News Keydmedia Online
24 April 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The chairman of the organizing committee for the election of the new leadership of the 11th parliament Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said the vote cannot be held in the presidential palace on the 27th of this month due to security fears.

The statement of the lawmaker came after a mortar attack was targeted on Villa Hargeisa on the 18th of April at the end of a joint session of both houses on the approval of the speaker's election schedule.

The attack that left several security guards and parliament staff members wounded raised the eyebrows in the capital. A similar mortar shelling hit Afisyoni on April 14 during the swearing-in of the new MPs.

The opposition lawmakers have been campaigning for the election to be moved from Villa Hargeisa to a safer place, citing a lack of security guarantee of parliament whose headquarters is under construction.

This shows that the lack of trust in security agencies has reached a peak as the lawmakers are fleeing from the presidential palace, which houses the top leaders of the country, including the PM.

Since the new MPs arrived in Mogadishu from their constituencies, there have been attempts by the office of the outgoing President Farmajo to disrupt the new speaker’s election, according to the critics.

Farmajo whose term ended in Feb last year is unhappy with the ongoing elections run by his PM Roble, according to the opposition, as he wants to end his two-year illegal extension which was rejected.

However, after more than a year of delays, the country heads to the presidential polls after the election of the parliament speaker this week. The current PM is in a standoff with Farmajo and their power struggle has affected the security and state-building efforts.

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