Somalia: Draft Constitution Approved In Nairobi
By MISNA
Somali representatives gathered in Nairobi have approved a draft the Constitution which will then be submitted to the examination by the Constituent Assembly.
The new basic Charter, according to MISNA sources in the Kenyan capital, marks the framework of the new state that will see the light after August 20, the date scheduled for the end of the transition, and also will be subject to amendments over the coming months.
“This is a crucial step in the process that was undertaken months ago with the support of the international community – said to MISNA Umberto Tavolato, a spokesman for the European Envoy to Somalia, Alexander Rondos – which recognizes the legitimacy of the new political phase that Somalia is about to experience.”
The document, says Tavolato, “will be presented in the next few hours in Nairobi and then handed over to the press, pending approval – by the middle of July – by the Constituent Assembly.”
Another key element for the transition towards stable institutions, said Tavolato, “will be the selection of the parliament, for have been engaged traditional leaders of Somali clans gathered this week in Mogadishu.”
Under the road map that Somalia has pledged to observe, once appointed, the 825 MPs will be responsible for selecting a new political leadership for the country. Formally, it comes down to electing a president and an executive that detect the task of leading the country from the transitional institutions in the near set to expire as of August 20.
