Power Struggles ahead of Somalia Vote

Hassan Ali Khaire has been removed after 170 out of 178 lawmakers felt he was unfit for office. Khaire has been in dispute with President Mohamed over when to hold Somalia’s national elections. A simmering power struggle between Khaire and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed provided the backdrop to the vote, which resulted in 170 of parliament’s 178 MPs backing the motion. President Mohamed, who appointed Khaire in February 2017, has been at loggerheads with the prime minister over when to stage Somalia’s national elections, due in February 2021. The president was in favor of postponing the nationwide ballot, with Khaire insisting it should go ahead. Somalia has set itself the goal of holding a one-person, one-vote election next year, as opposed to a complex system in which special delegates pick lawmakers who then vote for the president. The objective was to have its first full democratic election since 1969, but that proposal now lies in doubt.

SOURCE: DEUTSCHE WELLE