Removal of Galmudug president and deputy legal- state High Court

The High Court in Galmudug has upheld the ouster of state president Ahmed Geele Haaf his deputy deputy Mohamed Arabay and state assembly speaker Ali Ga’al Asir in what could exacerbate the political crisis in the central Somalia state.

High Court judge in Galmudug also affirmed the removal of the second deputy speaker of the state assembly Ali Hared Ali noting the vote of no confidence on the four was within the legal remit.

A faction of the state assembly voted September 26 to remove Haaf following a fall out over his declaration to side with Saudi Arabia in the ongoing Gulf Crisis. The lawmakers convened in a hotel reportedly owned by a Federal State Minister with 52 out of 55 members present affirming the vote while one abstained as only two voted against the motion.

Days later, the Haaf affiliated team voted to remove deputy president Arabay and speaker Asir. The circumstances surrounding the court’s decision to include second deputy speaker Ali remain unclear.

The court’s decision comes a day after Federal lawmakers mediating in talks in Adado said they had managed to contain the political crisis but noted the two sides had not reached a common understanding over the matter.

The court’s verdict further escalates the political crisis in Galmudug which now sends local MPs to the ballot barely four months after a similar exercise to elect Haaf.