On 26th of December last year,  a day before the Somali parliament term to run out, the Somali parliament amended constitutional article which extended their term till next parliament is elected. They claimed that they are preventing what they term to be a power vacuum. Many people including the some regional states and the council of presidential candidates disputed about what they call the illegal extension of their term as self interest exercise and unconstitutional.

The new amended article stipulates that the parliaments will be working until another elected parliament replaces them. It also stipulates other government institutions ( playing with words) to be in place till  the replacing elected officials replace them. Many people believe the article was drafted ambiguously to justify the parliament and other institutions to work after their term runs out. They believe that president Farmaajo and his team are relying on this new Amendments to stay in power, but that will create more crises than expected, perhaps it will lead the country into disastrous situation.

It is important to note the regional states and the council of presidential candidates have allowed the term of president to run out peacefully. But they were voicing their concern about the destruction of the government institutions tirelessly. They say that the lower house of the parliament have been hijacked by the executive when the former speaker was ousted in dubious way and put in his place the current speaker who could not  do his job properly. The speaker of Upper House was side-lined. 

The Speaker of Upper House wrote an official of complaint relating to  how the speaker of the lower house had undermined the draft constitution.  It is on record the Senate speaker said on many occasions that he was concerned about the executive interference of parliament's work. He blamed president Farmaajo to have been responsible for all the problems in  the country including the recent political talks to fail. All these verifiable information portrayed the opposite picture of  president's assertions and what he had said in parliament which could not be substantiated from reliable sources any where. 

Critics say that it will be  good and wise for the president to leave office honourably and quietly. They say that he can not stay in power in any circumstances after midnight and that is why all civil society groups are planning how the country can be saved from imminent violence.

It is relevant to acknowledge  that the opposition groups  are meeting with civil society groups and consulting with them about future  of the country. It is very likely that a new political settlement to emerge from these meetings  which will replace  four point five system which had been in place since 2000.

Analysts observed the Somali claims /contra claims and the UN evoy's recent interview on the legal bases of the parliament extension. The  Somali political settlement is only position that  the International Community can support. But it is time to take a decisive stand and Somalis should lead the way without any form of a political violence. There are secret talks about  a  caretaker president who will hold a free and fair elections.

Meanwhile,  the regional leaders are still meeting in Desamareeb and probably thinking  and planning  their political future and how to be part of the new political alliance.  That can not be said about the president. Only time will tell what president Farmaajo does after midnight. It is clear that it will be hard for him to be relevant in the future of Somali politics. The end.

By Mohamed Mohamud Adde

The author is an academic and an Independent Somali Political Analyst.