By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Political manoeuvres are on-going to extend the just to expire term of parliament’s House of Representatives.
The 82 legislators who are the first in the country’s history to be democratically elected want their term to be extend unto 2015 in what they claim is a strategy to consolidate parliamentary and presidential elections.
For the house of representative which is the lower chamber of parliament to have its term extended it has to receive approval from the Guurti house of elders which is upper chamber of the august house.
If approved this will be the second time for the legislators to have their mandate extended following the one of 2010 in which it received approval for an extra two years that ends in June 2013.
Before president Silanyo left for the talks with Somalia in turkey he is reported to have submitted a letter to the Guurti requesting extension of the legislator’s tenure.
Though the Abdirahman Irro led house is the first to be democratically elected following parliamentary ballot of 2005 it has also gained notoriety for perpetual abseentism that ensues with house business never achieving a full quorum thus the usual of important bills under debate or approval by a quorum of between 32 and 47.
It has also helped create controversy through a number of amendments especially as pertains to election laws whose repercussions continue to be felt several months after elections in November 2012.
While it is imperative to consolidate parliamentary and presidential elections thus help reduce related costs and fatigue involved the current members of the House of Representatives need to seek a fresh mandate as per the constitution.
