BY Refilwe Boleseng
Newly selected Somalian MPs are to be sworn into their new posts of power, this came about after an uncommon selection method was used as election for the new parliament members known as the house of the people, one might wonder, but what is so uncommon about this, and the answer would be that though this is the house of the people the people did not cast a vote for who they would like to have in parliament in a poll that took a record of four month to reach solution.
Statistics say only a couple thousand of Somalians for a parliament that would represent a population 16.3 million Somalians, this might be due to the lack of a one person one vote system and a complex political system.
Somali clan elders hold sole power as to who will be selected as a delegate for the house of the people this shows the strength of clans in Somalia it seems they are the glue of the society. There exists a known rivalry between clans, the system chosen by these clan leaders is one designed to give equal number of seats to the four major clans and the remaining clans are lumped together and given half the number. This makes Somalia’s clan representatives political kingmakers.
