Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland criticized the federal parliament’s changes to the country’s interim constitution and announced that it would withdraw recognition of federal government agencies.

The 2012 constitution was changed without input from all Somalis, including those in the region, the region’s Council of Ministers said in a statement on Sunday in the capital Garowe-Puntland.

The changes were approved at a joint session of the two houses of federal parliament in Mogadishu on Saturday after weeks of debate.

As a result, “Puntland will have the powers of a full, independent government until a referendum on a federal system, a constitution agreed to by Somalis and through Puntland’s participation is ratified,” regional officials said.

Essentially, Puntland refuses to recognize the authority of Somalia’s federal government until disputes over constitutional changes are resolved.

Puntland is the oldest federal member state, with 48 members in both houses of the country’s parliament, and ministers and representatives in all federal institutions.

It is unclear whether Puntland will recall MPs, ministers and civil servants from the region’s federal agencies.

At issue are changes to the first four chapters and expected changes to the entire 15-chapter interim constitution. The main changes so far involve the powers of the president, the number of national parties, and elections at the federal and state levels.

Under one of the amendments, Parliament gave the president the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister. Previously, only parliament had the power to remove the prime minister.

VOA contacted the Somali government, including the office of President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed, for response but received no reply.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, President Mohammed hailed parliament’s move to approve the first four amended chapters of the constitution as “historic.”

“The completion of the constitution is essential for the promotion of democracy, nation and state institutions,” he said.

“I urge members of both houses of parliament to resume consideration of the amendments and complete the remaining chapters of the constitution.”
On Sunday night, Muhammad signed a revised version of the first four chapters.

In August 2012, the National Constituent Assembly, composed of 825 people from all walks of life, adopted the original interim constitution. However, the Assembly said at the time that certain provisions required further review, including resource sharing, citizenship and the status of the capital Mogadishu. Somalia adopted a federal system in 2004, aiming to transfer some powers from the central government to the state and regional levels and maintain unity.

In June 2023, the National Consultative Committee, composed of President Mohammed, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Bal, four regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu, met and agreed to implement direct elections and reunification as early as June this year Election schedule. They also support a presidential system.

Some of these proposals were incorporated into the revised constitution, while others were rejected. Puntland absented itself from the June 2023 meeting after announcing in January last year that it would handle affairs as an “independent government” on the grounds of allegedly undermining the nation-building process.

There are different opinions in Somalia about the current constitutional amendment, with some people strongly supporting it and others strongly opposing it. Former foreign minister Ahmed Ise Awad, who unsuccessfully ran for Puntland leadership earlier this year, said both the federal government and Puntland had made “hasty” decisions.

“It was unnecessary; it did not go through the normal process of constitutional reform,” he said when asked about the amendment.

“Somalia is suffering and the Somali state has collapsed due to a lack of institutional framework and a strongman political culture. This constitution appears to solidify the political culture that has led to the collapse of the Somali state.”

Awad said the president should “uphold” the current constitution and “if the constitution must be amended, reformed or improved, it must go through a democratic process.

Awad said Puntland should equally “respect” the federal constitution, but said he did not believe the region intended to secede from the rest of Somalia simply because the federal government had “undermined” the constitution.

“Puntland is part of the federal government; the Puntland constitution cannot conflict with the federal constitution,” he said.

“Just as the federal government was elected to prioritize nation building, good governance and improving the lives of the Somali people, the Puntland government was elected to prioritize the aspirations of the people of Puntland and their good governance, rather than the desire to dismember the Somali people. “Somalia Nation. “

Puntland accused Somalia’s president of “violating the constitution under which he was elected and sworn in.”

“Hassan Sheikh has lost his constitutional legitimacy as president,” the statement read.

Separately, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia issued a statement urging all Somali stakeholders to “redouble efforts to reach consensus through an inclusive process.” The statement was issued on behalf of Somalia’s international partners.

Puntland said in a statement that it would negotiate directly with the international community and international organizations on issues involving its interests.

The decision will be submitted to the region’s parliament for approval, the statement said.

VOA’s Mohammed Oulad Hassan contributed to this report.