Mogadishu, 17 Jan 2014 (SDN) –The Prime minister of Somalia Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed announced his new cabinet consisting of 25 ministers,25 assistantministers and 5 state ministers.Two of the most powerful former ministers are in the new cabinet.Abdikarin Guleid and Farah Sheikh Abdikadir will head ministries of national security and Justice and constitutional affairs respectively.
The Prime minister used the 4.5/5 clan based formula to allocate the 25 ministries.In this formula political positions are shared among five major clans-each one getting 5 ministers.
Big names who headed big ministries in the last cabinet have fallen.Fowziya Yusuf,Abdihakin Fiqi and Mohamud Suleiman lost their positions.
Minister of foreign affairs and international relation goes to Abdirahman Duale Beyle , a new comer to Somali politics, he replaced Fowzia Yusuf Haji Adan.
Mr Hussein Abdi Halane, a well respected technocrat takes over the ministry of finance, he replaced Mohamuud Suleiman.Mr Godah Bare takes over the powerful ministry of interior and federal affairs replacing Abdikarin Guleid who moved to a new ministry called national security,while Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud took over ministry of defense, he replaced Abdihakin Haji Fiqi.
The new cabinet awaits approval from a fiercely divide house of parliament.A large part of MPs are against the re-appointment of Abdikarin Guleid and Farah Abdikarir whom they accused of participating the impeachment of former prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon.
The Somali president Hassan Sheik Mohamed welcomed the new cabinet and requested their approval from the parliament.
Source: midnimo
