A motion of no confidence filed against Somali President Abdulahi Mohamed Farmajo has been declared invalid after some of the lawmakers who were reported to have signed it distanced themselves from it.
The Secretary General of Somalia Parliament, Abdikarim Haji Buh, said 14 out of the 92 legislators who reportedly signed to impeach President Farmajo denied havig signed the petition, saying the list was submitted without their consent.
“My office has received complaints from 14 members of the House whose names were listed in the sheet of members moving the motion against the President of the federal republic,” Buh said in a letter to the Lower House Speaker.
He further said the 14 MPs informed him that they did not support the motion which was filed on Sunday, noting that their signatures had been erroneously included in the petition.
Buh said the pullout by the 14 legislators now meant the motion could no longer move to the next stage, as the remaining number was below the constitutional requirement.
“If you deduct 14 from the previous 92 the result is 78, thus according to article 92 sub article 2 motion cannot proceed as per the constitutional requirement,” he said.
Somalia’s constitution outlines that a president can be dismissed by a joint session of the parliament comprising a two-thirds majority.
