Somali MPs withdraw no-confidence motion against government

Somali parliament on Wednesday withdrew a motion seeking a vote of no-confidence on the government of Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon a week after it was tabled at the country's legislature. The motion was brought to parliament last week by nearly 100 MPs who accused the government of being ineffective. Speaker of Somali Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari said during Wednesday's session that most of MP who sponsored the motion decided not to back it. "We have informed you that 93 deputies submitted the no- confidence motion but 55 withdrew and 38 remained, therefore the motion cannot be voted on and is thus withdrawn," Speaker Jawari told lawmakers who responded with a loud applause. Lawmaker Abdulahi Haji who was one of those who brought the motion and withdrew support for it told parliament that he and his colleagues decided to withdraw the motion "in the interest of the people." "We have withdrawn the motion in the interest of the country and the people, and that is a result of a compromise we made," Haji told MPs during a session in Mogadishu. A number of previous Somali governments have been sacked after they failed a vote of confidence at parliament. Appointed nearly seven months ago, Prime Minister Shirdon formed a small government of 10 ministers that received an overwhelming support from the Somali parliament back in November last year. Lawmakers can reintroduce the motion if they get the support of the required one fifth of the parliament membership which is 275.