Somali Deputy PM Rejects Move to Strip him of Senate Seat | MOGADISHU: Federal Government of Somalia Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama has strongly condemned the decision to strip him of his Senate seat.
In a statement released following the announcement, Jama rejected the Speaker’s authority to remove him from his senatorial position calling the move by Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi Abdullahi “illegitimate and unconstitutional.” “This decision is unconstitutional and goes beyond the powers vested in the Speaker. The notion that my seat can be declared vacant based on attendance is baseless.” He stated, adding that such actions could only be taken through proper legal and parliamentary processes.
Senate speaker Abdi Hashi Abdullahi while making the announcement stated that Jama had automatically lost his seat in the house under parliamentary rules regarding absenteeism. The announcement however sparked controversy with several lawmakers challenging the legitimacy of the decision saying that the move “unconstitutional” and “illegitimate”.
Former chief of Somalia’s Supreme Court Ibrahim Idle Suleiman has since been named as Jama’s replacement despite an uproar from several Senate members who maintained that the seat cannot simply be reassigned without broader parliamentary consensus. However, Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi defended his decision, emphasizing that it was in strict adherence to parliamentary procedures.
Under Somali law, a senator who misses four consecutive sessions is automatically disqualified from their seat. Salah Jama’s absence, the Speaker asserted, met this threshold, leaving no choice but to declare the seat vacant.
The issue is likely to carry broader political weight as Somalia navigates federal power-sharing, regional competition and the search for stronger public institutions.
