The Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, has proposed a new cabinet for the Somali transitional government Appointed by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in September, the new PM is seeking parliamentary backing for a team which will see the beleaguered state through the final nine months of the transitional government.
Augustine P. Mahiga, the UN Special Representative to Somalia said:
“I trust that the period between the endorsement of the Prime Minister and now has been used productively to come up with a Cabinet that would meet the expectations of the Somali people.
“I am confident that the honourable Members of Parliament will employ the same sense of responsibility and unity which prevailed during the process of confirmation of the Prime Minister.
“The people of Somalia, as well as the international community, are eagerly awaiting the establishment of a functional cabinet. I therefore appeal to the parliamentarians to bring the deliberations on the cabinet to a conclusion that will advance the peace process.
“The United Nations and the international community stand ready to assist the new Government as soon as the Cabinet is endorsed.”
Somalia has lacked a fully functioning national government since the overthrow of the administration of the late Muhammad Siad Barre in 1991. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was set up in 2004, but has struggled to extend its authority beyond Mogadishu.
