The House of the People of the Somali Parliament has annulled a directive issued by the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the appointment process for department directors in government agencies, according to the Second Deputy Speaker of the House, Abdullahi Omar Abshirow.
The Deputy Speaker stated that the decision to annul the directive followed a parliamentary debate on a proposal submitted by the House of the People’s Social Affairs Committee.
He noted that the committee had recommended the directive be revoked pending work on other legislation concerning civil servants—specifically, the regulations governing the appointment and management of government personnel.
“The Social Affairs Committee, in collaboration with government legal experts and specialists, worked on this matter, and the House of the People debated the directive issued by the Prime Minister’s Office today,” Abshirow said.
According to him, the parliament ultimately voted on the proposal to annul the directive; 132 MPs voted in favor, while two opposed it and two abstained. Abshirow stated that the voting result means the directive from the Prime Minister’s Office is no longer valid, and that the decision of the House of the People will be conveyed to the executive branch.
“I believe the executive branch acted prematurely on this matter,” Abshirow said, adding that the regulations governing civil servants need to be finalized before taking new measures regarding department directors.
The Second Deputy Speaker also noted that this issue relates to the need to first align civil service regulations with the new constitution and other government laws.