Somali Lawmakers Accept New Cabinet

By Shafi'i Mohyaddin Abokar

The transitional federal parliament "TFG" of Somalia on Saturday gave the vote of confidence to the newly-appointed 18-memmber cabinet ministers formed by Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali on Thursday.

Before the vote of confidence was taken, the Somali Prime minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali who addressed the parliament requested the lawmakers to accept the list of his cabinet which he said will work to put the country out of the decades-long lawlessness.

"My government will give the first priority to tightening security and tackling the draughts-caused severe humanitarian problems in the country," the PM noted before parliament on Saturday.

After the prime minister's address, the Somali parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden urged the lawmakers to give confidence to the new cabinet in an open vote-manner, according to the country's charter.

However 397 parliamentarians out of the 420 MPs who attended Saturday's session voted in favor of the cabinet, while 21 voted against and only 2 members abstained.

"Today the new Somali cabinet is legal. This is what the war-weary Somali people have been expecting from you and on behalf of our people. I am very grateful to you for your approval of the new cabinet," Somali speaker told the law makers after voting has ended.

Both Somali president and the speaker welcomed the parliament's approval. The new entry of cabinet has marked the end of a months-long disagreement between both men who misunderstood over the country's political leadership.

Shafi'i Mohyaddin Abokar is the NewsBlaze Somalia reporter. Contact him through NewsBlaze.