Parliamentary support for Hussein, right, comes after moves by Ahmed to remove him [AFP]
Parliamentary support for Hussein, right, comes after moves by Ahmed to remove him [AFP]
Member of parliament on Monday voted strongly in favour of keeping Hussein and his cabinet in office, going against the demand by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed that the prime minister be removed.
Somalia's parliament has given its backing to the transitional government of Nur Hassan Hussein, the country’s prime minister, a day after the president moved to dismiss him.
"143 MPs recognised the existence of the government, 20 rejected it and 7 abstained," Aden Mohamed Nur, the parliamentary speaker, said a special parliament session in Baidoa.
"Therefore the government of Nur Adde [Hassan Hussein] is legitimate," he said.
Hussein, who became Somalia’s prime minister in November 2007, has in the last few months been in dispute with Yusuf over efforts towards a peace deal with the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), the country’s main opposition group.
Yusuf compliant
Yusuf said on Sunday that his move to sack Hussein and the entire cabinet was because the country was mired in instability.
The president needs parliament's approval to sack the prime minister, the Somali transitional government's federal charter says.
"It was difficult to work with the president, who disapproved of the peace process," Hussein said before the vote.
"The president was interfering with the activities of the prime minister and parliament.
"It is up to parliament to make a decision in order to save the transitional federal institutions and the rule of law."
Yusuf said on Monday that he would not try to undermine the parliament's decision.
'Peace effort threatened'
Hussein on Sunday said that the Yusuf had tried to destroy a UN-sponsored reconciliation process between the transitional federal government (TFG) and the ARS.
"The president abused the power of his office and undermined the legitimacy of parliament ... The president was attempting to sabotage peace efforts between TFG and the ARS," Hussein said.
Jean Ping, the African Union Commission chairman, said that disputes within the transitional federal government could derail peace efforts.
Yusuf's move to sack Hussein "has the potential of undermining the sustained efforts being made by the AU, IGAD and the larger international community, including the United Nations, to further reconciliation, peace, and stability in Somalia", the AU said in a statement.
IGAD is the Inter-Government Authority on Development, an organisation which has been involved in peace negotiations in Somalia and in the setting up of the country’s transitional institutions.
No-trust vote
The latest parliamentary vote in favour of Hussein comes three months after he survived a vote of no-confidence in the wake of accusation that he had embezzled state funds.
The transitional government, which is based in Baidoa, has struggled to exert its influence across the rest of the country since it was established in 2004.
Somalia has been without an effective government since the overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre in January 1991 by rebel forces.
Somalia's  overwhelmingly voted Monday to keep  as their prime minister, blocking President 's attempt at dismissing the prime minister and his "corrupt, inefficient" government.

President Yusuf announced his motion to dismiss Hussein on Sunday, saying his government was "unable to perform its duties" in matters such as dealing with the Islamic militants who have taken over most of the country. The latest dispute between the two involved efforts to reconcile with the  (ARS), the country's main opposition group. The UN-sponsored peace process has been decried by Yusuf as dealing with terrorists.

Hussein countered that the president had no authority to strip the prime minister of his post, and that the transitional federal charter required the approval of parliament for such an action. "The president was speaking in his usual personal capacity, contrary to the rules and regulations," Hussein said prior to the special parliamentary session in .

Despite Yusuf's hope that the parliament would endorse his decision, members of parliament were strongly supportive of Hussein's government, with 143 members recognizing the government's legitimacy, 20 rejecting its legitimacy and 7 abstaining. "Therefore the government of Hassan Hussein is legitimate," said , the parliamentary speaker.

Hussein, whom Yusuf appointed little more than a year ago after the resignation of , had previously survived a  in September, when he faced accusations of embezzling state funds. 

"The only obstacle in front of my government was the president," Hussein told members of parliament after the vote, "and since I have the confidence of the MPs I hope it will be effective henceforth." Yusuf had no immediate comment on the vote, but he had previously stated he would comply with parliament's decision if they chose to block his dismissal.

The relationship between the president and prime minister has grown increasingly strained over the issue of Islamic militancy. Yusuf has blamed the prime minister for the instability plaguing the politically fragile state, while Hussein has accused the president of trying to "sabotage" peace efforts between the transitional government and the ARS. Fighting between the Islamic opposition and Somali-backed troops from Ethiopia, the African Union, and the UN has killed thousands of Somalis and displaced millions.

, chairman of the , said the dispute within the transitional government has the potential of undermining efforts for "further reconciliation, peace, and stability in Somalia." The UN also issued a statement condemning the dispute, and demonstrators gathered in the streets of Mogadishu to denounce the president's move.

Although moderate Islamists from the ARS have agreed to enter into reconciliation talks, hardliner insurgents have rejected the attempts at peace and continue to take over towns in the central and northern regions of Somalia. Since the fall of the , organizations like Al-Shabaab have become leading insurgent groups. A spokesman for Al-Shabaab told reporters on Sunday that they intend to impose Sharia law on all of Somalia, and that a peace deal would never be accepted.