Somalia's Federal Parliament was closed on Nov. 11th and 15th after a group of MPs disrupted proceedings by shouting, banging on tables, and some waving protest signs that read "No Cash for Votes" and "Somali Democracy in Action". The MPs are deeply divided over a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, who has been in office less than a year. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his Cabinet allies, including 14 ministers that signed a Nov. 13th letter calling for Dr. Ahmed's resignation, support the motion. The Prime Minister says he is ready to accept any Minister's resignation and defends his Oct. 25th decision, which ignited the current political feud after President Hassan rejected the Cabinet re-shuffle. The political divide continues to widen, polarize the country and weaken its fledgling institutions. It has also triggered a litany of public statements by the U.N., E.U., U.S., and U.K., warning that the political standoff undermines recent progress and plans for 2016 elections. The AP reports that the U.S. has threatened aid cuts and has already cancelled participation at the High-Level Partnership Forum for Somalia, to be held in Copenhagen, Nov. 19-20, 2014. U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay's strongly worded press statement citing "allegations of some MPs being asked to exchange [...]
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