Federal Parliament of Somalia Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya | |
|---|---|
| 11th Somali Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate House of the People |
| History | |
| Founded | 20 August 1956 (1956-08-20) |
| Preceded by | Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia |
| Leadership | |
Aden Madobe since 28 April 2022 | |
| Seats | 275 MPs and 54 senators |
| Elections | |
| Indirectfirst-past-the-post | |
Last election | 2021–2022 |
Next election | TBD |
| Meeting place | |
| Mogadishu, Somalia | |
| Website | |
| www | |
|
|---|
|
 Somalia portal |
TheFederal Parliament of Somalia (Somali:Golaha Shacabka Soomaaliya; oftenBaarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya;Arabic:البرلمان الاتحادي في الصومال) is the national parliament ofSomalia. Formed in August 2012, it is based in the capitalMogadishu and isbicameral, consisting of anupper house (Senate) and alower house (House of the People).
The first parliament in independent Somalia was the unicameral National Assembly (1960–1969).[2] It was followed by the unicameral House of the People (1969–2012)[2] which did not function during theSomali Civil War. The unicameral Federal Parliament was established in 2012, and in 2016 was reformulated as a bicameral body, when theSenate of Somalia was established.[2]
As part of the official "Roadmap for the End of Transition", a political process devised by former Prime MinisterAbdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas which provided benchmarks leading toward the establishment of permanent democratic institutions in Somalia by late August 2012,[3] members of Somalia's then rulingTransitional Federal Government (TFG) and other administrative officials met in the northeastern town ofGarowe in February 2012 to discuss post-transition arrangements. After extensive deliberations attended by regional actors and international observers, the conference ended in a signed agreement between TFG PresidentSharif Sheikh Ahmed, Prime MinisterAbdiweli Gaas, Speaker of ParliamentSharif Hassan Sheikh Aden,Puntland PresidentAbdirahman Mohamed Farole,Galmudug PresidentMohamed Ahmed Alim andAhlu Sunna Waljama'a representative Khalif Abdulkadir Noor. The agreement stipulated a new 225-memberbicameral parliament would be formed, consisting of an upper house seating 54 senators and a lower house, of which 30% of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) would be earmarked for women, the president would be appointed via constitutional election, and the prime minister would be selected by the president, who would then name acouncil of ministers.[4][5]
On 23 June, TFG and regional leaders approved a draft constitution after several days of deliberation.[6] The NCA, which consists of 30 elders drawn from each of the country's four majorSomali clans (Darod,Dir,Hawiye,Rahanweyn) and 15 from a coalition of minority groups based on a power-sharing formula,[7] overwhelmingly passed the new constitution on 1 August. 96% of the 645 delegates present voted for it, 2% against it and 2% abstained.[8][9] For the constitution to come into effect, it must be ratified by the new parliament.[10]
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On 18 August 2012, a list of 202 new parliamentarians was released,[11] with a total of 215 legislators eventually sworn in on 20 August. A further 15 nominated lawmakers were approved by the Technical Selection Committee (TSC),[7] an independent body officially tasked with vetting the applicants.[11] However, verification of their paperwork was still pending before they could be officially sworn into parliament.[7]
The remaining candidates that were submitted by the NCA's elders to the TSC were rejected for failing to meet specific criteria agreed upon by stakeholders that partook in earlier agreements, including the Galkayo andGarowe Principles accords. The minimal selection criteria required potentialMPs to be Somali nationals possessing a "sound mind", to have at least a high school diploma,[11] to be capable of carrying out parliamentary duties, and to have no reported links with warlords, rebels, armed groups and other potential spoiler elements.[12] The TSC also based its screening procedure on detailed background information on the parliamentary candidates that was forwarded to it by the United Nations and theAfrican Union.[12]
The inaugural session of parliament was held on 20 August 2012, at theMogadishu airport since the main parliament building was undergoing renovations. The outgoing President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament all attended the ceremony in the capital, which witnessed the swearing in of most of the MPs and the selection of a new interim Speaker.[13]
The tenth Parliament of Somalia was inaugurated on 27 December 2016.[14]
In a statement to theUnited Nations Security Council,Michael Keating, Special Representative and Head of theUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), noted that the Upper House of Parliament had come into existence, comprising 54 members chosen on the basis of the federal member state rather than on a clan basis; the electorate had expanded from 135 male elders in 2012, to more than 13,000, 30% of whom were women; and voting had taken place in six locations around the country, reflecting emerging state structures.[15]
Theconstitutional mandate of the parliamentarians ended on 27 December 2020, and Somalia had no parliament until the swearing-in of the 11th Parliament in 2022.[16]
Members of the 11th Federal Parliament of Somalia were sworn-in in Mogadishu on 14 April 2022.[17] 250 out of 275 members of the House of the People and 40 out of 54 members of the Senate took their oaths of office.[18]
Abdi Hashi Abdullahi was reelected asSpeaker of the Senate, and Ali Shacban Ibrahim and Abdullahi Ali Hirsi were elected as First and Second Deputy Speakers on 26 April 2022.[19][20] SheikhAden Mohamed Nur Madobe was elected asSpeaker of the House of the People on 27 April 2022, while Saadia Yasin Haji Samatar and Abdullahi Omar Abshirow were elected as First and Second Deputy Speakers the next day.[21][22]
On 20 August 2012, formerSomali National Army (SNA) GeneralMuse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle was appointed Interim Speaker and Acting President.[23] Voting for a new Speaker of Parliament was held on 28 August 2012, with former Minister of Transportation and Minister of Labor and SportsMohamed Osman Jawari elected as Speaker.[24]Jaylaani Nur Ikar andMahad Abdalle Awad were serving as First Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker, respectively.[25]
The Federal Parliament of Somalia constitutes thelegislative branch of government, with theFederal Government of Somalia representing the executive division.
The parliament elects thePresident, Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Speakers. It also has the authority to pass and veto laws.[7]
In addition, the parliament is tasked with selecting the ultimate number and boundaries of theautonomous regional states (officially,Federal Member States) within the Federal Republic of Somalia.[26][27]
On 2 April 2014, the parliamentary committee of interior and security announced that it would soon establish a committee to oversee the federalism process inSomalia's constituent provinces.[28]
The Federal Parliament of Somalia isbicameral, consisting of anupper house (Senate) and alower house (House of the People).[7] It includes many professionals and university graduates.[13] At least 30% of seats are legally reserved for women, a quota secured by Somali parliamentary consultantHodan Ahmed and women political leaders.[29] Ahmed had also helped form the Somali Women Parliamentary Association in 2009 in the precedingTransitional Federal Parliament.[30]
An officiallist of Members of the Federal Parliament was first published on 17 August 2012 by the Office of the Somali Parliament.[23]
The Senate, or upper house, was elected duringSomali parliamentary election held on 2016 and it contains 54 Senators.[31]
The House of the People, or lower house, is eventually expected to comprise 275 MPs.[7]
The Federal Parliament has a number of committees, which are tasked with carrying out its duties. They include:[32]
In March 2015, theCouncil of Ministers agreed to establish a new commission tasked with overseeing the nationalization and integration of security forces in the country.[33]
Article 47 of the Provisional Constitution stipulates that "the regulations concerning[...] elections at the Federal Government level[...] shall be defined in special laws enacted by the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia."[34]
According to the Office of the Somali Parliament, sitting legislators are mandated to serve from 2016 to 2020.[23] The Parliamentary term elapsed on 27 December 2020, without an announced election date.[35]
The Federal Parliament of Somalia is a member of theInter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the international organization of parliaments.[36]
Media related toParliament of Somalia at Wikimedia Commons
