The Independent Commission for the Review and Implementation of the Constitution has ordered the members of the Federal Government and the regional governments in the two houses of Parliament to choose between ministerial and parliamentary positions.
The commission said in an official statement that this decision is based on the implementation of provisions of the new Federal Constitution of Somalia, which clearly states that one person cannot simultaneously hold the position of a member of parliament and a minister.
This step directly affects the members of parliament in the government of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who are said to number about 15 ministers out of the 25 members of the Council of Ministers.
The officials who will be most affected by this decision include the Deputy Prime Minister, Salah Ahmed Jama, who is a member of the Upper House of Somalia.
These officials have been ordered to vacate one of the two positions, which means they will lose either their membership in Parliament or their ministerial positions, based on provisions of the Federal Constitution of Somalia.
The committee added that the separation of executive and legislative powers is essential for the process of state-building and the preservation of the system of governance.
However, President Hassan Sheikh has previously said that the new constitution will be implemented after his term of office, which is only 30 months away.
Reports indicate that the government is persuading the cabinet of ministers in parliament to resign from their positions as a good sign of the implementation of the new constitution in the country.
Some of the current ministers in parliament fear that if they resign from their parliamentary seats, they will find it difficult to return to their seats.
Constitutional Committee orders ministers to choose between government and parliamentary positions.
