GAROWE, Somalia – The speaker of the Puntland Parliament said the lawmakers voted today to declare null and void the constitutional court’s decision to cancel their extension.
In a three-page statement issued by the Speaker of the Parliament Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril, said the house will stay in power until 2025 amid a standoff over the election in Puntland.
The Parliament’s session was marred by chaos and brawl during the voting over the decision of the court that is against the constitutional provisions, according to the reports.
The Constitutional Court of Puntland yesterday annulled the one-year extension period established by the Puntland Parliament after a request from the government led by Deni.
For the past two months, disputes between political parties and the Puntland government overshadowed the local elections and the process of holding a direct vote next month.
President Said Abdullahi Deni and the Puntland Electoral Commission tried to conduct one-person, one-vote polls, while the opposition demanded a return to a clan-based electoral.
Situated in the far northeast of Somalia, at the very tip of the Horn of Africa, Puntland is the most mature and stable Federal State in the country, politically and economically.
