MOGADISHU (SD) -More than 70 Members from both houses of the Somali parliament have come forward to protest constitutional amendments that they argue marginalize both the people and the country, and they will not be part of it.

The MPs, who convened a presser today in Mogadishu, stated that the amended constitution contains 45 amended provisions, with 19 new clauses added to the original constitution.

They claim that this is a new constitution rather than amendments to the old one, accusing the parliament leadership of failing to protect the independence of government agencies and calling on the president of the federal government to intervene.

The decision of the national reconciliation forum in May 2023 to amend the agreement was not finalized, as Puntland did not participate, and the forum’s decision needs to be unanimous.

The constitutional dispute has been a significant source of contention, now reaching a critical point in parliament, with former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo expressing opposition.