The Federal Parliament of Somalia has set a date for the resumption of its sessions after temporarily suspending them for the Hajj pilgrimage and the Eid holiday. According to reports, the Speaker of the Lower House of the Federal Parliament, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe, chaired the 23rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the People’s Assembly in Mogadishu on Thursday.
The meeting was centered around the postponement of parliamentary sessions and government accountability reports. The People’s Assembly sessions will be suspended starting from Saturday, which falls on June 17, 2023. The committee also requested the government to submit the budget audit by June 30, as per the bylaws of the House of People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia. The Assembly sessions will resume on July 5, 2023.
Earlier in the week, Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre appeared before the standing committee to address questions concerning the strengthening of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of the Somali government.
The decision to temporarily suspend the parliamentary session stemmed from the importance of the Hajj pilgrimage and the Eid holiday to the Somali people. The Standing Committee’s decision also allows lawmakers to prepare for upcoming legislative issues and attend to other matters during the break.
In conclusion, the decision to suspend the People’s Assembly session was a necessary move to prioritize the religious observances of the Somali people. This will also give lawmakers some time to focus on other legislative matters and attend to important issues when the Assembly resumes its sessions. It is hoped that the government will submit the budget audit report as requested by the committee by the set deadline.
