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UN envoy hails Somali parliament's endorsement of new government

14 November 2012 00:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The top UN political official for Somalia on Tuesday welcomed the Somali parliament's endorsement of the new 10-minister government of Prime Minister Abid Farah Shirdonm, which includes two female ministers, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here, APA reports.

"The secretary-general's special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, has welcomed the endorsement by the Somali Federal Parliament of the Council of Ministers, announced by Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon on 4 November," Nesirky said at a daily news briefing here.

"He noted that the appointment of just 10 ministers conclusively demonstrates the will of the Somali leadership to move away from the mindset of the past and bring about positive change," the spokesman said.

Shirdon announced the composition of the Council of Ministers -- equivalent to a cabinet of ministers -- on Nov. 4. The person selected as the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in the 10-member body is Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adan, reportedly the first time a woman has held such a senior position in the Horn of Africa nation.

According to media reports, 219 parliamentarians endorsed the cabinet in a vote on Tuesday, with three votes against and three abstentions. The Council of Ministers is expected to be sworn in next week.

In his remarks, Mahiga commended Prime Minister Shirdon, as well as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, for their consultations with a wide cross-section of Somali society, both inside and outside of the country, in the lead-up to the appointment of "this inclusive Cabinet which bears all positive hallmarks of a potential good government."

"It was a remarkable exercise in confidence building," he said. "The new Council of Ministers represents a broad spectrum of political shades and membership while taking clan balance, equality and representation into account. It also reflects the cultural and social realities of today's Somalia."

After decades of factional fighting and lawlessness, the East Africa country has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process, with a series of landmark steps in recent months that have helped to bring an end to the country's nine-year political transition period. These steps included the adoption of a Provisional Constitution, the establishment of a new Parliament and the appointments of a new president and a new prime minister.