Everything about The Transitional Federal Parliament totally explained
The
Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic (; often
Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya) is an interim
Parliament of
Somalia formed in neighbouring
Kenya in 2004.
The Transitional Federal Parliament has 275
members, with each of
Somalia's four major clans getting 61 seats in the parliament, while an alliance of minority clans was awarded 31 seats. The Charter also dictates that at least 12% of the Parliament shall be women (Article 29).
One of the formal
de jure powers vested in the Parliament according to the
Transitional Federal Charter (Article 5) is the governance and administration of
Mogadishu as the capital city. However, in actuality this power
de facto lies in the hands of particular warlords, many of whom are also members of parliament. De facto the state is in
anomie with only loose governmental structures.
On
February 26 2006 the parliament first met inside Somalia, in the city of
Baidoa, 260 kilometers northwest of
Mogadishu. 210 lawmakers of the 275-member parliament met in a
grain warehouse temporarily converted into a meeting hall. For this reason the Transitional Federal Government is also sometimes referred to as simply the "Baidoa Government."
The Parliament as the legislative branch formed the executive branch, known as the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic (
Dowalada Federaalka Ku Meel gaarka ah ee Jamhuuriyada Soomaaliya) by electing
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as
president of Somalia in 2004. He appointed a cabinet, headed by
Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi.
The Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP),
Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and the
Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) collectively comprise the
Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) of the new Somali government. The TFG is the successor to the
Transitional National Government (TNG) of
2000–
2004.
Leaders of Parliament
Clan representation
"The 4.5 formula" was developed at the last peace conference in Nairobi in the early 2000s. It gives equal quotas for representation in government to the four major
clans, and a half-point to the fifth, the cluster of minority clans.
The four "major" clans are the
Hawiye,
Rahanweyn,
Dir and
Darod. The "minor" fifth clan, called "the fifth", includes, but isn't limited to, other ethnically Somali clans such as
Midgan,
Tumal, and
Yibir, and other non-ethnically Somali people, such as
Eyle,
Somali Bantu (Jareerweyne),
Reer Hamar,
Bravanese and other
Benadiri people, and
Bajuni.
The transitional Somali parliament has 275 representatives. Thus each major clan has 61 seats and the minor clans have 31 seats to share among themselves. This formula has been widely condemned as being unfair and ineffective by both the intellectual and religious Somali communities.
List of Parliamentarians
Islamic sharia as basis of national law
Transitional Federal Charter defines
Islam as the national religion and
sharia law as the basis of national legislation (Article 8).
Chapter 9 of the Charter defines the scope and powers of the federal judiciary. Until its broader adoption, many
de facto decisions were or still are made by local tribal meetings, or, during 2006, by the
sharia courts organized by the
Islamic Courts Union.
History
Siad Barre and the ensuing
Somali Civil War. The country has been run for more than a decade by tribal factions and warlords.
Human rights violations
According to the
HRW, during the
2007 battle of Mogadishu, TFG forces failed to provide effective warnings when alerting civilians of impending military operations. Like the
Ethiopian military, it participated in widespread pillaging and looting of civilian property. The TFG forces interfered with the delivery of humanitarian assistance and in some instances directly attacked humanitarian personnel. Also, it was reported that it committed mass arrests and mistreatment of persons in custody.
Notes and references
Further Information
Get more info on 'Transitional Federal Parliament'.
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