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Somali Government Defeats No Confidence Vote

The Somali interim government has managed to escape defeat during Sunday’s no confidence vote, the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports.
 
One hundred and twenty-six members of parliament voted against the government, while only 88 voted for it, but the government will remain in its position. According to the Somali constitution, at least two thirds of the parliament must vote against a government in order to bring it down.
 
The parliament meeting was held in a secret location in Baidoa. The security forces guarded the location fearing an attack by the oppositionist Islamist Courts Union (ICU).
 
Another 11 members of parliament were needed in order to bring down the government. The meeting was heated at some stages, and the police had to interfere when a fist fight broke out among a few members of parliament.
 
Meanwhile, Egypt rejected announcements [1] carried out by Prime Minister ‘Ali Muhammad Jeidi over the weekend, according to which Egypt had sent weapons to the ICU.