Convention sets December 2019 for new constitution

SOMALIA will have a new constitution by end of 2019, a national constitutional convention meeting in Mogadishu in the last three days has said calling on stakeholders to swiftly engage in ensuring the document is delivered within the set timelines.

The Supreme Law which has been subject to review for the last six years since it was adopted by Parliament in 2012 must be Somali led and capture the aspirations of all Somalis, the Convention said in a communique today.

The three days convention which brought together Somalis from across the divide also called on Parliament to ensure all the views captured from the public consultations are factored in the final document.

The convention set out three critical milestones for the remainder of the year notably resolution of all the technical issues, review of the contentious articles and negotiation and agreement between the Federal and State governments on cross cutting articles.

Power sharing at federal and state level, resources sharing, citizenship and design of the judiciary remain contentious issues. The status of Mogadishu and power sharing between the president and the prime minister have also generated wide debate and are yet to be resolved.

The stakeholders also observed the completion of the process must not be pegged on political expediencies. The participants also called for accountability in the process.