Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has issued a warning against planned constitutional amendments that would shift the country from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Farmajo expressed concern that pushing for constitutional amendments during these critical times would exacerbate divisions within the nation as it faces external threats, in light of Ethiopia’s act of aggression inking an illegal port deal with breakaway Somaliland.
The proposed amendments aim to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential one, abolishing the position of Prime Minister and creating a deputy president instead.
These changes were initially announced in May 2023, following a four-day National Consultative Council (NCC) summit in Mogadishu. The meeting included the incumbent Somali federal president Hassan Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, and presidents of the Federal Member States (FMS) – Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West, and Jubbaland, along with the governor of Banadir region.
However, Puntland state President Said Abdullahi Deni notably absented himself from the summit and refused to endorse the resulting communiqué. Deni stressed the need for broader consultations before implementing such transformative changes.
The proposed changes also include a shift to a two-party system, with these parties competing in direct one-person-one-vote federal elections.
Several other prominent leaders and politicians have previously voiced opposition to these amendments, including former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and three former prime ministers – Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, Abdiweli Ali Gaas, and Hassan Ali Khaire.
Emphasizing the nation’s current crucial and delicate political context amid tensions with Ethiopia over its illegal maritime deal with breakaway Somaliland, Farmajo urged members of Parliament and the president to prioritize national unity and safeguard “its unity and statehood” instead of sowing political discord.
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